Disillusioned
by negative 97
Summary: With Apollyon and the Blackstone Legion continuing their warpath into Valkenheim, the Noble Legion remains one of the few independent holdouts, contributing to the war effort in their own way. Meanwhile, a squire by the name of Helena tries to make the most of the situation, wondering why the knights can't simply band together; she'll get her answer soon enough.
1. Chapter 1 Spite

Ch. 1

Spite

 _For Honor is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"I'll make sure my master get this," a squire told the messenger while stuffing the parchment into her bag causing the messenger, a Peacekeeper with a serrated blade and dagger, to snort and fold her arms.

"See to it that you do; the only way we push the Warborn back is under the banner of the Blackstones and your master's refusal to bend the knee isn't doing us any favors," the assassin barked causing the young knight to roll her eyes which went unnoticed thanks to the helm she was wearing.

"If my master thinks remaining independent is the best course of action, then I support their decision," the squire calmly retorted which made the assassin huff and saunter over to her horse where she mounted the beast and gazed upon the squire with a harsh, judgmental stare.

"Just you watch, the Noble Legion will submit to Apollyon just like the Regal and Royal Legions," the Peacekeeper responded which made the squire grunt, but say nothing as she simply crossed her arms.

"Maybe, maybe not. Safe travels, Blackstone," the squire amiably told the assassin who ignored the gesture and beckoned for her horse to go to which it sped off into the distance while kicking a pile of mud onto the squire's helm.

Sighing heavily, the young knight took off her headgear and wiped off the mud with her forearm before putting it back on and making her way back to her lord's fortress while passing by the village near her master's castle. Bidding good morning to any villagers she came across, the squire continued to walk toward her destination where she passed by the...gentleman's club where some of the workers were talking among themselves outside.

"Helena, good morning!" one of the workers greeted the squire who sheepishly dipped her head and waved at the woman who proceeded to walk up to Helena making the squire rub the back of her helm.

"Good morning, Margaret. I take it you and your...associates are doing well," Helena ventured causing the worker to smile and nod eagerly before embracing the young knight who went stiff for a moment before returning the gesture.

"We are; we all just want to say thank you for always walking us home after work," Margaret told the squire who allowed a grin to tug at the corner of her lips befoe breaking off the hold and patting her Margaret's shoulder.

"You're welcome; you and your associates are just as deserving of protection as anyone else," Helena replied causing Margaret to smile and bid farwell to the squire who resumed her march to her lord's castle.

"Helena, a moment of your time please!" a voice shouted causing the squire to look over her shoulder and found a member of the local guard jogging toward her which made Helena raise a brow.

"Yes, Captain?" Helena inquired as the guard put his hands on his knees and released a long, labored breathe before pointing east causing the squire to tilt her head.

"It's Wallace and Gunnarr. See, Wallace says that the garden of Gunnarr's wife, Bellatrix, encroached on his land while Gunnarr says that the statues Wallace's wife, Azusa, put up encroached on his so they've specifically asked for you to settle it," the captain informed the squire who sighed softly and put a palm to her helm as she could already imagine the insults the two Warborn men were spitting at one another.

"Alright, tell them I'll be there after I deliver a message to Dame Isabelle," Helena grumbled causing the captain to nod vigorously and jog away causing the squire to shake her head before resuming her walk to her master's fortress.

After a what seemed like an eternity, the squire finally arrived and after being granted access by the guards, proceeded to walk up the stairs into the inner sanctum while politely greeting any of her fellows along the way. When she stood before the door to Dame Isabelle's room, Helena cringed when she heard another shouting match between her master and her daughter causing a nearby knight to glance at her which made Helena awkwardly shrug.

"What are we doing to help our people, mother!? Day in and day out the vikings rape our lands without consequence, without retribution, while we wait for an attack that will never come!" Isabelle's daughter roared at the squire's master making Helena lightly bang her head against the stone wall and shake her head as she heard her master let out a frustrated groan.

"What would you have me do!? Send out our forces and leave our villages defenseless!? And in case you haven't noticed, we are helping our people by supplying them with much needed food, water, armor, and weaponry!" Isabelle shot back causing Helena to nod at the assessment and continued to patiently wait until they were done before jolting as she suddenly heard a loud, thunderous bang.

"That's not good enough! The Noble Legion is strong enough to protect others and ourselves so why aren't we doing so!?" Isabelle's daughter shouted at the top of her lungs which made Helena place a palm over one of her ears while continuing to wait patiently for an opportunity to ask her master to enter.

"Look at the Iron Legion; they were once considered the mightiest force in Ashfeld and now, because they didn't manage their resources properly, they're at risk of being routed at Harrowgate and being assimilated into the Blackstone Legion. So yes, we may be strong enough now, but how long will it be until we're in the same position as them?" Lord Isabelle questioned which made Helena hope that would be end of it, but sighed mentally when she heard her master's daughter slam her hands down on Isabelle's desk.

"Then why not send troops to Harrowgate and assist Commander Stone!? Why do you insist of having our soldiers hold the line when you can stop something before it becomes a problem!?" Lord Isabelle's daughter shrieked which made Helena rub her temple and hold her hand up near the door where it hovered near the entry point for a few seconds before she retracted her hand.

"Because the Battle of Harrowgate is lost! Stone put up an admirable defense, but I will not commit to a lost cause when my soldiers could be put to better use elsewhere!" Isabelle yelled and suddenly everything got quiet with no sound being heard except for one's breathing causing Helena to take advantage of this and knock on the door.

"Um...master, it's Helena. I have an urgent message from the Blackstone Legion," the squire stated which made her lord sigh heavily before ordering Helena to enter which the squire did and respectfully dipped her head.

"Thank you, Helena; Valentina, you're dismissed," Isabelle proclaimed calmly, but firmly as Helena reached into her bag and handed the letter to her master while Valentina grit her teeth tightly that one thought they might shatter like glass.

"You can't just ignore-"

"Valentina, right now, I'm not your mother, I'm your warlord, and I demand you show me the proper respect," Isabelle sharply interrupted her daughter causing Valentina to growl lowly before begrudgingly bowing and exiting the room, but not before shooting a glare at Helena and shouldering her way past the squire.

Grumbling, Helena rubbed her arm as she watched her master unfurl the parchment and study the contents disinterestedly. After a moment, the warlord scoffed and threw the letter onto her desk with a shake of her head before taking out a quill, a piece of paper, and some ink.

"Helena, please write down my response," Isabelle requested causing the young knight to nod and grab the objects as her master sat down in her chair and leaned back in it while letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"Request denied; sincerely, Dame Isabelle, Warlord of the Noble Legion," Helena's master said which made the squire raise a brow, but wrote it down nonetheless before handing the letter over to Isabelle.

"Um...master, I think a response like this will only anger the Blackstones," Helena pointed out only to sigh softly as her master simply shrugged and rose from her chair where she grabbed a wine bottle and two cups.

"Let them be mad; they have to learn that not every legion will bend the knee as easily as the others," Isabelle responded as she set the items down on the table where Helena reached out to grab the bottle and cups, but her master stopped her by holding up her hand and grabbing the objects herself.

"Um...master, proper etiquette states that I-"

"I'm aware, but as your master I'm ordering you to let me pour the drinks," Isabelle interrupted coolly which sapped any courage Helena had and caused her to meekly nod as her warlord proceeded to poured the drinks for them.

"So, what do you think about the Blackstone situation?" Isabelle inquired as she picked up her cup and downed the liquid in one go while Helena tentatively sniffed her drink before taking a sip from it.

Frowning and scrunching her brow, the squire set her cup down on the table as her master poured herself another drink and mindlessly moved her cup from side to side.

"I...isn't there someone else you can talk to about this, master? I don't think I'm the right person to ask about this," Helena reluctantly answered causing her master to frown and swallow some of the wine before setting her cup down on the table and sitting up to her full height which made the squire feel even smaller.

"Helena, this is one of the duties of a knight and if you can't handle it you should pack up, go home, and get married like any other noble. If you can handle it, I want your opinion," Isabelle ordered sternly which made the squire take a deep breathe in and let it back out before looking up at the warlord.

"Alright, master; since you're worried about the Noble Legion being subservient to Apollyon, maybe you should get help from people who have the same concern?" Helena hesitantly suggested causing her master's expression to not change in the slightest as Isabelle drank her wine before looking at the squire dead in the eye.

"A good idea in theory, but a hard one to execute in practice. I pretty much burned any bridges I had with the Iron Legion by not helping out at Harrowgate and the other warlords are not too fond of me for...obvious reasons," Isabelle responded as she grabbed the wine bottle, leaned her head back, and chugged the alcohol like a common drunkard which made the squire release a breathe as her master wiped her lips with her forearm and set the bottle aside.

"I see, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help, master," Helena apologized which made Isabelle wave her hand and stood up from her chair where she walked toward the window and stared at the village nearest to her fortress solemnly.

"You've helped me form an idea of where my soldiers stand on the matter. You're dismissed, I have...much to think about," Isabelle stated as she folded her arms and continued to watch the villagers go about their day causing Helena to nod and rise from her chair where she bowed to her master who nodded in response.

Hearing Helena exit the room, Isabelle grabbed her wine bottle and glanced it long and hard before setting it down on the table. Who should she seek help from? Daubeny was out of the question; he was a craven who would put himself before all others. Holden? No, he and the Regal Legion had long since bent the knee to the Blackstones. Recruit some of the Iron Legion deserters? A desperate idea if there ever was one; they were just as dangerous to her people as they were for her enemies. Suddenly, an idea dawned up on the warlord, one she was hesitant to entertain, but felt as if she had little choice.

Sighing heavily, Isabelle reached into her drawers and took out the reports of viking raids carried out against the more unhinged Warborn such as Siv and Ragnar along with prominent knights like Hervis Daubeny and Julius Salavander. Strangely, these outlier vikings left the villages in the scrublands alone which made Isabelle meticulously read every line of information on the reports where she discovered that the Warborn had taken to calling this particular group of vikings the Heretics. Sifting through more of the reports, Isabelle hoped that she could learn more about these Heretics and if she could find a pattern in their raids, the location of their base in Valkenheim.

* * *

Unlocking a door, a Nobushi with tints of gray hair, a bruised naginata, and a dull, red robe stepped into the makeshift prison where the various captives instinctively scurried away from the bars whenever she walked by them. Stopping in front of one cell, the Nobushi lightly banged the shaft of her weapon against the bars which jolted the prisoner, a young man with black, disheveled hair, awake.

"You know what's going to happen so don't make this harder than it has to be," the Nobushi stated as she opened the cell door and attempted to unlock the prisoner's restraints who backed himself into a corner while bawling uncontrollably.

"No, please, please! I-I swear I won't speak out again, j-just don't send me to the pyre!" the prisoner wailed as the Nobushi unlocked his feet cuffs which made the prisoner scream and do his best to cover his hands.

"You shouldn't have spoke out at all," the Nobushi coldly replied as she roughly grabbed the prisoner's arms and unlocked the cuffs binding his hands which made the prisoner go desperately claw, yank, and punch the Nobushi's arm in attempt to free himself to no avail.

"No, no! Please, anything but that!" the prisoner hollered causing the Nobushi to purse her lips and relinquish her grip on the man's arm causing the captive to hesitantly look up at the old warrior.

"Anything?" the Nobushi inquired causing the prisoner to vigorously nod and grovel at her feet which made the old warrior to reach into her pocket and toss a tanto at the captive's feet making the captive's eyes widen.

"B-but-"

"You said anything and I offered you an alternative," the Nobushi sharply interrupted the man who looked up at her and then at the knife before tentatively reaching out and grasping the weapon with shaky hands.

Steeling himself, the prisoner raised the blade and stabbed himself in the gut which made him whimper as blood began dripping down onto his pants like raindrops. Grounding his teeth, the man slowly slid the blade along his belly, but it was not seamless as the knife got stuck a few times making the prisoner use more force to continue to move the knife around eliciting a pitiful sob from him each time he did it. Making one final cut across his chest, the prisoner hacked up a glob of blood onto the cold, hard floor and watched as his guts spilled out onto his lap making him feel a cold sweat run along his body before he collapsed on the ground completely still. Snorting, the Nobushi gave an experimental kick to the man's crotch which didn't cause a reaction from the now dead prisoner causing the old warrior to nod and exit the cell where a pair of angry, malnourished hands accosted her.

"You're not going to kill anyone else!" the owner of the malnourished hands, a pale, thin woman, roared as she squeezed the Nobushi's neck as hard as she could, but all it did was make the old warrior raise a brow as she made the woman reel with a hard, swift punch to the gut.

"I am, and you're next," was the Nobushi's reply as the malnourished woman collapsed on her knees while tightly clutching her gut where she vomited up what little food was given to her causing her fellow cellmates to comfort her as best they could.

Ignoring the glares of the prisoners, the old warrior exited the room and made her way back to the center of the town where Ranja, a Shugoki, and a group of prisoners stood near a giant, burning pyre with the villagers fearfully looking on as the mad daimyo preached to the townsfolk.

"...And let it be known that while these people have brought great shame upon themselves, their ancestors, and their family, rejoice in the fact that Amaterasu will welcome them into her embrace and restore their honor!" Ranja shouted as the Shugoki threw a torch onto the giant pyre setting it ablaze causing the villagers to gasp and instinctively step back as the sumo wrestler roughly grabbed one of the prisoners by her hair.

"No, Ranja, please! I've always served you loyally so I beg of you, please reconsider!" the woman, a former orochi, wailed as the mad daimyo callously beckoned for the Shugoki to make haste while the Nobushi put a hand on her chin.

"Yes, you have and I will be forever grateful for that, but the fact remains that not only did you fail to assassinate Seijuro, but you had the audacity to get captured and then return expecting leniency," Ranja snarled as she motioned with her hand toward the pyre causing the woman to desperately throw her elbow back into the Shugoki's face making the sumo wrestler grunt before he grabbed the back of her head and violently smashed his forehead against the back of her skull.

Howling in pain, the former orochi crumpled to the ground and curled up into a ball as a gruesome crack on the back of her head leaked a copious amount of blood where the Shugoki grasped her arm and yanked her toward her doom.

"Ranja...perhaps we should reconsider," the Nobushi commented causing the mad daimyo to gaze at the old warrior with a raised brow before glancing at the Shugoki and holding up her hand making the sumo wrestler pause.

"What did you have in mind?" the mad daimyo inquired as the Nobushi sized up the former orochi who looked like she didn't even know where she was before looking back at her daimyo.

"That Setsuka serve under me; I'll make sure she continues to grow as a warrior and that the failure that brought her here isn't repeated," the Nobushi responded causing Ranja to rub her chin and gaze at the former orochi long and hard before staring back at the old warrior who calmly looked back at her.

"Those are good points, but what guarantee do I have that she won't just cut and run at the first opportunity?" Ranja questioned her subordinate who knowingly nodded and extended the blade of her naginata into the flames before retracted her weapon from the fire which glowed fiercely as if it were a live flame.

"I'm sure branding will get your concern with her across quite nicely," the Nobushi replied causing the mad daimyo to thump her fingers against the hilt of her nodachi before gazing at the Shugoki, gesturing at the former orochi, and then at the Nobushi.

Grumbling, the sumo wrestler picked up the former orochi by her restraints making the woman scream bloody murder as she felt as if her arms were going to get ripped from her sockets before the Shugoki unceremoniously tossed the former orochi at the Nobushi's feet making the disgraced warrior wheeze.

"Look at me, girl," the Nobushi barked causing the former orochi to whimper and reluctantly do so as the old warrior held the burning blade near Setsuka's nose causing the disgraced warrior to unconsciously lean her head back.

"From now on, you are loyal to only me and you answer to no one but me save for Ranja herself. Do you understand?" the Nobushi snarled which made Setsuka vehemently nod and do the standard bow while Ranja gestured for the Shugoki to start throwing the other prisoners onto the pyre.

"Y-yes! I-I do!" the former orochi stuttered causing the Nobushi to grunt as she roughly kicked Setsuka to the ground and forced her onto her belly before cutting her shirt open and holding her naginata mere inches above Setsuka's bare back.

"Good, but I hope you understand that Ranja needs more incentive than your word," the Nobushi responded as she plunged her blade into the former orochi's back making the woman release an ear piercing wail as the old warrior began carving her flesh like it was a paint canvas.

The villagers gasped in horror as all the parents in the crowd covered their children's eyes or covered their ears while those who came alone could only watch on in with a myriad of emotions running through them as the former orochi scream echoed for miles while tears freely streamed down her face. Retracting her blade, the Nobushi examined her work and judged that she wrote the kanji for dishonorable well on Setsuka's back while the former orochi trembled and curled into a ball. Holding her naginata above the fire once more, the Nobushi roughly kicked Setsuka in the ribs causing the former orochi to cry out and look up at the old warrior with red, teary eyes while holding her hands out in front of her in a futile gesture to protect herself.

"P-please, n-no more!" Setsuka implored only to shriek and throw her head back as the Nobushi dispassionately stabbed her in the gut and began etching the kanji for coward onto her stomach.

"Consider this part of your penance for your failure," the Nobushi responded as she knocked Setsuka's hands away whenever she tried to grasp the shaft of her naginata as the former orochi eyes lolled before she went limp, passing out from the shock.

"Not very resistant to pain, are you? Don't worry, I'll fix that soon enough," the Nobushi told Setsuka's unconscious form as the prisoner the Shugoki was leading toward the pyre managed to make eye contact with the old warrior and call out to her.

"Homura, please, I can be useful too!" the prisoner shouted at the top of his lungs before the Shugoki backhanded him across causing a glob of blood to fly from the man's mouth while the Nobushi rolled her eyes.

"Farming is of no interest to me," Homura heartlessly dismissed as the Shugoki tossed the man onto the pyre causing the prisoner to howl in excruciating pain as he tossed and turned like a fish out of water as he was set ablaze like a tree in a wildfire.

If the villagers weren't already terrified by seeing a woman being branded right in front of them, they certainly were now as the man weakly pulled himself out of the pyre and collapsed on the ground in a smoldering heap where everyone could see his horribly charred skin which was burnt to the bone.

"Yuuto, bring another of the other tributes forward," Ranja ordered causing the Shugoki to dutifully nod and accost the nearest prisoner where he began dragging her toward the pyre only for the captive to defiantly pull herself from Yuuto's grip.

"You'll get yours someday," the woman sneered as she cast a fierce, scornful glare at Homura, Ranja, and Yuuto causing the mad daimyo to grunt as the Shugoki began pushing the captive to the burning pile of tinder.

"You'll get yours now," Ranja responded causing the woman to snort derisively as she calmly stepped onto the pyre and knelt down where she closed her eyes and didn't flinch even as she was being burned alive.

When the woman finally expired, the mad daimyo ordered Yuuto to throw another of the tributes onto the burning tinder when a high ranking soldier walked up to Ranja, formally bowed, and then whispered something to her. Sighing and brushing a hand over her face, the mad daimyo put her nodachi back in its scabbard causing Homura to raise a brow before noticing that Setsuka was beginning to stir which made the Nobushi haul the former orochi to her feet.

"Somethings come up; Homura, Setsuka, come with me. Yuuto, handle the offerings," Ranja commanded causing the Shugoki to nod as one of the prisoners tried to flee, but Yuuto whacked him across the chest with the handle of his kanabo causing the man to violently gag and collapse on his knees.

With a blank gaze, Homura watched as Yuuto approached the prisoner who was grasping his chest tightly in obvious pain and breathing erratically before rearing his foot back and striking the captive in his gut with his club sending the man flying onto the pyre. Ignoring the agonizing wails coming from the prisoner, Homura followed her daimyo with Setsuka limping after her as the duo followed Ranja into her quarters adorned with many religious epithets, statues, and pictures. Kneeling down, Homura narrowed her eyes at Setsuka who groggily followed suit as the deranged priestess stood before them with a hand on her chin while mindlessly thumping her fingers against her forearm armor.

"It's come to my attention that we're running low on offerings and we all know that if we don't keep the gods appeased, it might spell doom for us all," Ranja started which made the old warrior grunt as she wracked a brain for a solution while Setsuka allowed her mind to wander as she gazed upon the various artifacts in the room.

"I'm sure Dokuja and Kizan would be willing to part with some of their prisoners for the right price," Homura suggested which made the mad daimyo nod absentmindedly as she paced around the room and kept her gaze downward while Setsuka opted to remain silent, wanting to not contribute to whatever horrible plan Ranja would come up with anymore than she inevitably would.

"That would certainly help, but it still wouldn't be enough. No, we could...wait, yes, that will do nicely," Ranja murmured which made Homura tilt her head while Setsuka hesitantly looked up at her daimyo as the deranged priestess took out a map showing the Myre and what they thought the regions of Valkenheim and Ashfeld looked like.

"The Myre doesn't contain enough tributes, but I'm willing to bet Ashfeld does. Homura, I want you to take some of my soldiers to what the Legion calls the scrublands and bring back some offerings. From what I understand, these people won't be missed so why not put them to better use?" Ranja put forth which made Homura say nothing and with her daimyo's permission, took the map out of her hands and examined it meticulously.

"I'll convince one of the viking clans to launch a raid as a cover and while the savages are busy taking their plunder, we'll capture any stragglers and bring them back to the Myre," Homura responded causing Ranja to grin ever so slightly which was hidden behind her mask while Setsuka cringed at the thought of what was going to happen to the future prisoners.

"Also, try not to attract the attention of the Blackstones. The last thing we need is them coming down us," Ranja added which made Homura grunt as she rubbed her chin before an idea dawned on her causing the former orochi to wince while Ranja patiently waited for the Nobushi to speak.

"I'll be sure that we're dressed in viking garbs when we capture the offerings and that we sail back to the Myre in a viking ship," Homura assured her causing the deranged priestess to smirk before dismissing her causing the Nobushi to formally bow while Setsuka clenched her fists tightly before blurting out something.

"Wait! Forgive me, but do we really have to offer people as offerings? Wouldn't it be better if we sent a dignitary to spread our religion to the lands beyond?" Setsuka advised which made Homura gaze at the former orochi with a stare that could kill many times over as Ranja held her hand up when the Nobushi started to advance on Setsuka.

"I'm not opposed to that idea, in fact, I do send a dignitary to the other daimyo's lands every week, but that's in the Myre. In Ashfeld, my dignitary is liable to get decapitated or burned at the stake while in Valkenheim, they might suffer the blood eagle," Ranja pointed out causing Setsuka to open her mouth to respond before closing it when nothing came to mind as she desperately tried to think of a solution when an idea, albeit a less than ideal one for the future prisoners, came to mind.

"Well, maybe you could try converting them and for those who don't see the light, you could offer them as you originally intended. I'm sure the gods will be very pleased that you, one of the daughters of the Emperor, managed to convert those who were deeply ingrained in one religion only to follow another. Think of how they would reward you for such devotion," Setsuka reasoned which made Homura barely resist the urge to groan and settled for rolling her eyes underneath her mask while Ranja looked toward the Imperial Palace.

"The thing is, I know you're trying to manipulate me, but you're right. Doing such a thing would put me in the god's favor," Ranja replied while continuing to gaze at the Imperial Palace where she dismissed her two warriors who formally bowed to her, but just as Homura and her servant were about to leave, Ranja called out to the Nobushi.

"Homura, I've been meaning to ask, what exactly happened to Hiro? I didn't see you bring him to the pyre," the mad daimyo inquired while never taking her gaze off of the palace causing Homura to recall the incident in the cell and cringed at how badly it must smell by now.

"He begged me to not take him there so I gave him an alternative in the form of a tanto," the Nobushi answered causing Ranja to purse her lips and nod knowingly before gazing at her warrior over her shoulder.

"I see; have someone clean up the mess in the cell, release Hiro's family, and tell them that their honor is restored," Ranja ordered causing Homura to bow before gazing at Setsuka and gesturing for her to follow her which the former orochi did while the deranged priestess continued to fantasize about being the one on the throne.

When the duo walked a fair distance away from Ranja's quarters, Homura suddenly seized Setsuka by her neck making the former orochi gag as the Nobushi hoisted her up in the air and slammed the former orochi against the wall one handed where Setsuka's legs helplessly dangled off of the ground.

"I know what you're trying to do; trust me, it's kinder to just kill them where they stand instead of letting them live under Ranja's fist," Homura growled as while she maintained an iron grip on the former orochi's neck, Setsuka wasn't being deprived of any air, but that didn't mean the former orochi was comfortable.

"I don't want anymore people to die because of her!" Setsuka shouted back causing the Nobushi to derisively snort as she released her grip on the former orochi who collapsed on her knees and rubbed her neck.

"That's funny coming from you; go to the doctor and get that head wound looked at. When you're done, meet me in my quarters; you're of no use to anyone walking around half naked," Homura ordered causing Setsuka to ground her teeth and give a slight, barely noticeable bow which the Nobushi ignored as she began to walk back towards the cells, intent on fulfilling the promise she made to the woman who attempted to strangle her.


	2. Chapter 2 Escalation

Ch. 2

Escalation

 _For Honor is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

 _Bruva Boreale: A coincidence, I assure you. I had no knowledge of this group when writing the previous chapter._

Exiting her master's fortress, Helena heading down the road towards Wallace and Gunnarr's houses where she sighed as the two Warborn men were shouting at one another in either Celtic or Nordic just like she thought. Sparing a glance at the men's wives, Azusa and Bellatrix, all they could do is shrug as Azusa calmly approached them.

" _Gunnarr, I'm really sorry that it got to this point. Let me get my statues out of the way,"_ Azusa told Gunnarr in Nordic which made the viking nod as the Chosen women went to pick up the statues before Wallace put a hand on her shoulder.

" _No dear, you keep your lovely art there until this mead drinking horse fucker apologizes and pays reparations for growing crops on my land!"_ Wallace shouted in his native, Celtic tongue while planting the tip of his claymore near his feet which made Gunnarr snort as he rested his sword on his shoulder while keeping a tight grip on his wooden shield.

" _If that's how you want to be, then I'll keep growing crops on your lands until you apologize and pay reparations for defacing my land, you haggis eating boot licker!"_ Gunnarr spat in Nordic which made the Highlander narrow his eyes while Helena, Azusa, and Bellatrix exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"Okay, you two need to stop and take a breathe, alright?" Helena ordered the duo causing Wallace to grumble and look down at his boots while Gunnarr snorted and glanced to the side, but nevertheless the two Warborn men complied.

"Now then, I want to hear both sides of the story and neither of you are to interrupt the other or else I'll be required to get Dame Isabelle involved," Helena stated causing the Highlander and the Warlord to lock eyes and begrudgingly nod which made the squire, Azusa, and Bellatrix sigh in relief.

"Gunnarr, go ahead," Helena said causing the Warlord to suck in a breathe before recanting his recollection of the incident while Bellatrix shook her head and mindlessly sharpened one of the prongs of her trident.

"Alright, so it was like any other day; I got up at the crack of dawn to gather some firewood and then head down to the market, but what do I see when I go outside? Statues of those lion dog things the Samurai have sitting on my property so I go next door and ask if they can move them and that's when this lumbering idiot decided to blow things out of proportion," Gunnarr explained while gesturing at the Highlander as Azusa quietly called out to Bellatrix, pointed at their husbands, and silently mimicked their arguing which made the two women share a laugh.

"Wallace, it's your turn," Helena told the Highlander who went over the the things he wanted to say in a split second before opening his mouth while Azusa inspected her beaten, rusted kamas for any dullness.

"Just like Gunnarr, I get up at dawn to gather firewood and then go to the market, but when I went outside I saw some crops that Bellatrix usually grows on my land. Obviously, I ask my neighbor if he could move them, but Gunnarr says that would not yield any harvest which is when this short sighted bull decided to make things more complicated than they have to be," Wallace said which made the squire put a hand on her chin as she contemplated all the information she had been given before coming to a decision.

"Azusa, you're going to have to move your statues and Bellatrix, you're going to have to find another place to plant your crops. In addition, you're going to have to pay for whatever damages you caused," Helena declared causing the Chosen women to nod as she moved her statues onto her porch while Bellatrix carefully uprooted the crops and placed them into pots before approaching the Highlander.

"Wallace, I'm sorry for-"

"No dear, you did nothing wrong. Wallace should have guarded his property more carefully," Gunnarr assured his wife who groaned before gently grasping the Highlander's wrist and placing some coins in his hand where she mouthed a quick apology.

"Gunnarr; I would like to apologize for-"

"It's alright, beloved; you're not at fault here. The one to blame is the man who didn't set clear boundaries for his land," Wallace told his wife who rolled her eyes before apologizing to the Warlord and putting some coins in his hand to cover for any damage she caused.

"So, everything is fine now?" Helena inquired which made both the Highlander and Warlord nod as they tightly grasped each other's forearms and apologized for acting so childish.

"I think so; thanks for always coming down here and slapping some sense into them," Azusa gratefully told the squire who let a grin tug at the corner of her lips as they saw the two Warborn men walk down the road with their hands over their shoulders toward the local tavern.

"I'll admit it's trying dealing with them, but I see it as training for my diplomatic skills," the squire answered which made the Chosen women chuckle before walking over to her porch and mulling over what position to place her statues in.

"Talking to two grumpy old men is training?" Bellatrix playfully jested while watering her crops causing Helena to laugh softly when she suddenly saw Valentina approaching her on horse while grasping the reins of another.

"Hello, Valentina, what brings you-"

"It's Dame Valentina, and I don't remember giving you permission to speak!" the Warden spat with a razor sharp edge to her voice causing Azusa and Bellatrix to stop what they were doing and glare at Valentina while Helena merely sighed.

"Of course, Dame Valentina; I'm sorry for my impudence. If I may ask, what brings you here?" the squire asked which made the Warden snort as she threw the reins of the other horse she was leading at Helena who tilted her head.

"Warlord Isabelle has ordered that we go to the scrublands and investigate the claims of a viking clan who left the villages near Lord Daubeny's and Lord Salavander's fortresses untouched. If possible, we're to interrogate Daubeny and Salavander directly so come along, we're going to stop at a town for the night before pressing onward," Valentina ordered which made Helena dutifully nod and mount her horse where she gently stroked the beast's neck to gain its trust before grasping the reins and gazing at her superior.

"Is anyone else coming with us, Dame Valentina?" Helena inquired which made the Warden curtly shake her head causing the squire to grumble as Valentina began heading down the road forcing Helena to catch up with her.

"You two stay safe!" Azusa shouted to them with Bellatrix yelling something similar at the duo causing the squire to amiably wave farewell while Valentina gave a short nod before refocusing on the road in front of her.

" _I can do something as simple as an investigation without her so why did mother insist I bring her along? Wait, I know; she'd rather trust this task to this naive upstart than me, her own daughter. Well, won't she be surprised when I manage to complete this task without her precious protege,"_ Valentina schemed as she gave a quick look at Helena who was taking in their surroundings with a sense of awe while thinking of a way as to how to get her rival out of the way without arousing suspicion.

* * *

Night had long since passed over Valkenheim, but things still went bump in the night as a Valkyrie wearing appropriated armor that the ancient Centurions wore crossed one leg over another and listened to her cohort intently. When her comrade finished, the warrior sighed heavily and buried her face in her palm before looking up at her ally.

"You're sure it's Asmodai?" the Valkyrie inquired which made her cohort, a Raider wielding a poleaxe and wearing armor similar to the ones Lawbringers used, nod as the Valkyrie rose from her chair and walked over to a window.

"You say it like it's a bad thing; with Holden there, we can just sit back, relax, and wait for him to finish up with Daubeny and then launch our raid. No way he or his men will be able to repel us," the Raider reasoned which made the Valkyrie shake her head as she reached into a drawer and pulled out a map showing the region of Ashfield.

"Too risky; if Asmodai and his army are going to lay siege to Westhold, then we run a high risk of running into them, no matter how well we try to hide ourselves. Salavander is the easier target and most importantly, out of the way of Asmodai," the Valkyrie countered which made the Raider consider this before nodding and walking over to her comrade where she playfully punched her shoulder.

"Don't tell me you're scared of him and by the way, there's an abandoned cathedral that our forces can lay low in before we attack that weasel," the Raider pointed out which made the Valkyrie chuckle softly and pat her friend's shoulder as she considered how many soldiers to bring and how many to leave behind so there was a home to bring the spoils back to.

"I'm not, it's just that too many lives on both sides will be lost if we do fight him. The Heretics are small enough, no need to make our clan smaller," the Valkyrie retorted which made the Raider grunt as a high ranking soldier entered the room, bowed his head, and took in deep, heavy breathes while the Valkyrie patiently waited.

"Forgive me for the intrusion Jarl, but the other clans are asking that you send reinforcements to Harrowgate," the soldier explained causing the Jarl to roll her eyes while the Raider groaned and shook her head as the Valkyrie tightly grasped the shaft of her spear.

"They must be desperate if they're willing to ask for our help," the Raider whispered which made the Jarl grunt as she thumped her fingers against her weapon before sighing heavily.

"Tell them that we'll only help once our own business is concluded, but also that I'm sending 1,000 warriors their way," the Valkyrie told the messenger who dutifully nodded and scurried out of the room as the Raider folded her arms and leaned against a wooden pillar.

"We don't have to help them, you know. The Bearclaw Clan and Crow Clan hate us, the Warborn barely tolerate us, and without Gundmundr sitting on the throne, the Wolf Clan wouldn't even acknowledge us," the Raider pointed out which made the Jarl nod and sigh heavily.

"I know, but Gundmundr has been kind to us so it's time to repay the favor. Tell Finn to gather 1,000 of his best warriors and immediately head down to Harrowgate and then inform rest of our soldiers to get ready. We head to that cathedral you mentioned at the crack of dawn," the Jarl ordered which made the Raider nod and exit the room causing the Valkyrie to slowly walk over to the stairs leading to her room.

Ascending the steps, the Valkyrie entered her room and removed her helmet where she undid her braid and allowed her long, yellow hair to flow freely. Brushing some of her hair over her shoulder, the Valkyrie knelt down in front of a shrine containing the visages of Tyr, Starkad, Utgard-Loki, and Hel where she mouthed a quick, but meaningful prayer to watch over her clan and give them strength for whatever hardships they would inevitably face.

* * *

Yawning, Helena slapped the side of her helm to stay awake as she kept trudging behind Valentina who hadn't so much as glanced at her besides to make jabs at her station of being Dame Isabelle's squire or how she was a kid way in over her head. Other times, it was to ask about how she felt about the mission or Dame Isabelle herself...which would then turn into a jab at her station. Sighing softly, Helena glanced at the moon and smiled slightly before she jolted when she heard her steed release a long, winded breathe which made the squire pat the horse's neck and feed it a carrot.

"Dame Valentina, how long until we reach the town?" the squire inquired as her steed let out another exhausted wheeze which made Helena coo at the beast and gently stroke it's head while Valentina sighed irritably.

"Not much longer, don't ask me again," Valentina barked which made the squire narrow her eyes, but say nothing as she contemplated her options before halting in the middle of the road causing Valentina to turn her horse around and glare at her.

"What are you doing? Come along, now!" Valentina commanded which made the squire shake her head and remained rooted to the spot, something her steed was grateful for as it gladly took the reprieve to lay down on its belly.

"I'm sorry, but no. Not only are our horse tired, we're not any closer to this town you spoke of. It would be best if we find a defensible position to make camp for the night and continue onward tomorrow," Helena suggested which made her master's daughter sneer, but begrudgingly nod and gestured with her head for the squire to follow her causing Helena to mentally sigh in relief.

Following Valentina up a mountainous path which lead to a cave, both members of the Noble Legion dismounted their horses where Helena patted her steed's head before laying against it while Valentina put a hand on her hip.

"Go get some firewood," Valentina demanded which made the squire groan before walking off to do so as the Warden retrieved her rolled up tent and then corralled her horse into the cave before setting up her temporary dwelling.

Seeing Helena return with a bundle of tinder, Valentina gestured at the center of the clearing causing the squire to set the tinder down in a neat pile before taking out two stones from her bag.

"Since you recommended this...I'll take first watch," Valentina conceded even though each word felt like bile coming out of her mouth which made the squire tilt her head, but nod as she clashed the stones together and caused a spark which set the tinder ablaze.

"Thank you, Dame Valentina," Helena replied which made the Warden grunt as she finished setting up her tent and then sat down in front of it where she kept watch over the camp like a hawk and noticed the squire was laying down against her horse.

"You're not going to set up your tent?" the Warden questioned her subordinate who shook her head and shifted around to get more comfortable while unconsciously keeping a grip on her longsword just in case they were ambushed.

"I don't really see the need to unless the weather becomes unbearable which it isn't at the moment," Helena responded with a shrug which made the Warden stare at the squire as if she grew a second head before snorting and refocusing on the dark, pitch black landscape in front of her.

"And here I thought you were just some sheltered blue blood," Valentina remarked which made Helena roll her eyes as she sat up and placed her hands on her lap.

"My family haven't been blue bloods for a while, Dame Valentina," Helena replied in a tone trying to be calm, but the Warden heard the ever so slight edge to it which made her subtly smirk and turn to face Helena.

"Oh, so what happened? Your family became indebted to the wrong kind of nobles?" Valentina taunted which made the squire narrow her eyes causing the Warden to mentally congratulate herself for elicting a reaction from her self declared rival.

"My uncle squandered our wealth instead of handling it responsibly so now I'm here trying to raise funds to send back to my family," Helena replied with a slight growl as she took out her longsword and sharpening stone while Valentina's elated expression fell as she tried to formulate a response to placate her companion.

"Then why not get married to some high ranking noble? It would solve your financial problem," Valentina suggested causing Helena to violently scrape the sharpening stone across her longsword which made red hot sparks fly from the blade and illuminate the night air.

"I would prefer it if my family and myself were not at the mercy of some high ranking noble," Helena growled as she examined her two handed sword before placing it back in its scabbard and then taking out her dagger.

"Then just take some spoils from any of the Warborn we come across. It's not like they got it legitimately," Valentina recommended and suddenly, it felt as if the entire camp went as cold as any of Valkenheim's winters as Helena set her sharpening stone down and glowered at the Warden with her fist clenched.

"Are you saying that about the Warborn, or are you saying that about Wallace and Gunnarr?" Helena asked causing Valentina to scoff, fold her arms, and sit up with her back straight just like her mentor did whenever she was being challenged.

"I'm saying it about the Warborn; look, Wallace and Gunnarr are good people, but they're the outliers of a barbaric, savage people who only know how to rape, pillage, and plunder. The sooner you learn that, the better," Valentina responded, echoing the words of the mentor she served when she was a squire, causing Helena to take a deep breathe in and let it back out as she was just able to stop herself from unloading on the Warden.

"Don't insult my friends, Dame Valentina," the squire requested calmly, but firmly which made Valentina tilt her head, wondering what exactly is it she said to put Helena in such a sour mood.

"I'm not insulting them, just their people! Look, if it makes you angry, then let's talk about Azusa; she's a good person too, but the Chosen-"

"Dame Valentina, please. I want this conversation to end!" Helena stated through tightly gritted teeth causing Valentina raise a brow before shaking her head and turning her back on the squire.

"As you wish," Valentina conceded which made the squire snort as she resumed sharpening her dagger while the Warden took out a map and examined it meticulously down to the smallest detail.

When she felt she had studied the map thoroughly enough, the Warden neatly tucked it back into her bag and looked over her shoulder at Helena who was laying down against her horse with her eyes closed. Smirking, Valentina did a quick tweak on the plan she was working on while unbeknownst to her, a figure wearing a bull skull for a mask with a yellow and red emblem showing a flaming sword piercing through Valhalla watched her from the shadows.

"Did they say anything important?" the figure's companion, a Valkyrie with an embossing on one shoulder showing a wolf devouring the sun while the embossing on the other showed a wolf eating the moon, whispered which made the being shrug.

"Not really, except that they are going to a town, they don't like each other, and that Warden has a misconceived perception of us," the being responded while gripping their curved dagger and hatchet before gesturing with their head at the unaware Warden and the napping squire causing their ally to tilt her head.

"Come on, let's take them; I'll handle the Warden, you take care of the runt," the being urged which made their companion grip the figure's shoulder tightly and yank her overzealous ally back into cover when they were about to sprint into the clearing.

"No, Finn sent us ahead to scout, not start trouble. If what you say is true, then they might be heading towards the villages Salvander lords over which means that our enemies might have caught wind of the raid or they're trying to gather more information about us. In either case, we should head back and tell Finn what we found," the figure's ally recommended which made the being bare their sharp, filed teeth at the Warden like a starving jackal before staring at their ally with their eyes narrowed.

"I have a better idea; let's capture one of them and make them tell Finn why they're in the middle of nowhere. That way, when Finn sends a runner back to our clan, they can tell our Jarl what they're actually doing instead of just rough ideas we came up with," the being quietly countered which made their ally stare at her blankly and then at the two knights before sighing and brandishing her spear.

"Alright fine, but we're capturing the runt. We're less likely to get severely injured that way," the Valkyrie conceded which made the figure grin before gesturing for her companion to hide behind some trees which were at the side of the knight's camp while the figure scurried up a tree without making a sound.

Seeing their comrade in position, the being took out their weapons and nodded causing the Valkyrie to take out a javelin, rear her foot back, and toss it at the Warden who let out a scream as the projectile slammed onto the side of her helm. However, both vikings were surprised to see that instead of crumpling to the ground, the Warden rolled with the momentum into a crouching position with her longsword pointed in the direction of the attack.

"Helena, we're under-"

The Warden started to say until the being landed on top of her, sending them both crashing to the ground in a heap while the Valkyrie charged toward the squire who scrambled to her feet and brought her longsword up. Sidestepping the thrust at her stomach, Helena tried to smash the pommel of her longsword against the Valkyrie's face only for the viking to raise her shield which stopped the blow in its tracks. Gritting her teeth, Helena backpedaled to rethink her strategy which turned out to be a mistake as the Valkyrie pressed the attack and came at the squire with a thrust that nearly stabbed into the chainmail which was the only thing protecting her shoulder, a swipe which almost cut her lightly armored neck, and a quick jab with the shaft of her weapon which sent the squire crashing shoulder fist into a tree.

Wincing, Helena quickly regained her bearings and saw the Valkyrie jumping at her with her spear held overhead which made the squire dodge to the side and grab a lump of dirt. Throwing it at the exposed part of the viking's headgear, the Valkyrie yelped and backpedaled while clutching her face causing Helena to stab at the viking's heart only for her enemy to blink away the dust just in time. Pushing the blade away with her shield, the Valkyrie winced as the longsword made a long, shallow cut across her ribs as Helena seemingly put all her weight behind a powerful swing meant to end the fight. Smirking underneath her helmet, the Valkyrie dug her feet in and raised her shield to stop the attack...only for the squire to suddenly flick a fist sized rock at the viking with the flat of her blade. Cursing, the Valkyrie staggered back slightly and gnashed her teeth as the stone impacted her helm and made her feel as if she hit her head against a door as a nasty bruise formed beside her eyebrow.

" _Alright, this has gone on long enough!"_ the Valkyrie said to herself as she feinted a swing at Helena's neck causing the squire to instinctively raise her sword only to leave herself open for a powerful, devastating strike from the edge of the viking's shield.

Howling in pain as her head violently snapped to the side, Helena collapsed on the ground with a light stream of blood pouring out of her mouth which formed a puddle beneath her as Helena barely managed to hear her enemy advancing on her. Blocking out the pain, the squire grasped a fallen tree branch and blindly swung behind her...only to hit empty air causing Helena to desperately try to reposition herself, but it was too late. Shrieking as the spear pierced through her shoulder like wet paper with a sickening, wet squelch, Helena collapsed on her knees with one arm hanging limp while the other tightly grasped the shaft of the Valkyrie's spear.

" _I'll get someone to look at her wounds once we bring her back to camp,"_ the Valkyrie thought to herself as she stepped forward and whacked Helena across the face with her shield yet again causing the squire's head to twist to the side where she collapsed on the ground completely still.

"Skadi, let's go!" the Valkyrie hollered at her companion as she hoisted the unconscious squire over her shoulder as Skadi ducked underneath a swipe at her neck and rammed her shoulder into Valentina's chest making the Warden retch as she crashed against the cave wall.

Gnashing her teeth, Valentina dipped her head to the side just as the Shaman thrust her knife toward her throat where the dagger made a superficial cut across her neck. Hissing, Valentina placed the crossguard of her longsword behind Skadi's neck and yanked her face first toward the wall making the Shaman yowl as her nose broke with a gut wrenching crack. Gritting her teeth as Valentina kicked the side of her knee and forced her to the ground, Skadi rolled forward just as Valentina nearly chopped her head off and hooked her hatchet against the Warden's foot. Tugging backwards while twisting her hips, the Warden screamed as her feet left the ground as she brutally land on her face which briefly made Valentina feel lighter than air. Groaning, Valentina rolled to the side just as Skadi's hatchet came crashing down where her head was and surged toward the viking who sent a quick, downward chop at the Warden's shoulder only for Valentina to place the flat of her blade against her palm and stop the blow in its tracks.

Gritting her teeth, Valentina stepped back and wrenched the hatchet out of the Shaman's hand by using her longsword as a fulcrum. Gasping, Skadi uncontrollably staggered forward only to gag and double over as Valentina grasped her shoulder and violently kneed her in the gut. Tightly clutching her stomach, the Shaman was helpless as the Warden tiredly lifted her blade overhead to deal the finishing blow...only to yelp as the Valkyrie's shield struck her across the face. Feeling her head violently snap back and her helm go flying off her head, Valentina staggered back until she roughly fell onto the cold, hard ground spine first which made her hiss. Reaching up to touch her face, she felt vicious gash above her eyebrow which was freely leaking blood like a fountain, a nasty bruise which started at the bridge of her nose and ended at her cheek, and black eye which hurt to touch. Coughing up a glob of blood, Valentina tried to climb back to her feet only for the Valkyrie to kick her back down and then stomp on her face which made the Warden go limp.

"Thanks, Faye," the Shaman told her partner as she picked up her hatchet and wiped the copious amount of blood marring her face onto her shirt and then pressed her fingers against her broken nose where she cracked it back into place.

Grimacing and blinking any tears that had formed at her eyes, Skadi then spat any blood in her mouth into the fire while Faye tied Helena up and placed her onto her horse.

"So, are we going to bring the Warden too?" Skadi asked her partner who shook her head causing the Shaman to tilt her head, but shrug as she clicked her tongue causing her horse to jog into the clearing.

"No, one is good enough so unfortunately, we're going to have to...you know," Faye stated which made Skadi solemnly nod and crouch over the unconscious Warden with her curved dagger hovering over the back of Valentina's neck while the Valkyrie averted her gaze.

However, before the Shaman could deal the finishing blow, the huntress saw something out of the corner of her eye and rolled out of the way while kicking her companion's legs out from underneath her. Yelping, Faye landed on her arm and glared at her ally only to widen her eyes when she saw arrows embedded in the trees they were standing in front of. Gratefully nodding at her companion, the two vikings quickly mounted their horses while dodging any arrow fire and retreated from the clearing where they both threw fire pots behind them to dissuade their attackers from pursuing them. Just as they made it to the treeline, a Conqueror and two captains of the local guard burst into the clearing with their weapons at the ready, but growled as they saw the vikings were long gone. Sighing, the Conqueror ordered for the archers to cease firing before kneeling down next to Valentina while the guardsmen went about calming Valentina and Helena's horses down.

"Helena," Valentina murmured as she reached out toward the trees before blacking out again causing the Conqueror to lift the Warden over her shoulder and onto the horse she was using for transport.

Ordering for her cohorts to move out, the Conqueror looked down at Valentina and glowered at her before focusing on the road. They would rescue Helena, but it would have to wait for now.


	3. Chapter 3 Consequences

Ch. 3

Consequences

 _For Honor is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"Thank you for the help, doctor," Setsuka thanked the medical practitioner while hobbling out of the house with her chest, back, and head heavily bandaged where she cordially greeted any of the citizens she passed, but was met with scorn.

Sighing softly, Setsuka did her best to tune it out as she entered Ranja's palace and made her way through it where she came upon the door to Homura's home and heard what sounded like choked, stuttered breathes coming from inside. Crouching down, Setsuka opened the door a crack and widened her eyes when she saw Homura kneeling down next to a sickly, disheveled girl and seeming almost...sad? Was the Nobushi even capable of that?

"M-mom, i-it...it hurts," the little girl whined with tears streaming down her face where she let out a strangled, violent retch which caused her to hack up a copious amount of blood onto her clothes and the blanket she was using.

Seeing Homura sigh heavily, Setsuka continued to watch as the Nobushi reached forward and affectionately embraced her daughter where she placed one hand behind the little girl's head while the other on her shoulder.

"I know," Homura whispered to her daughter where she began to hum a lullaby while gently rocking her child all causing the little girl to smile and rest her head on Homura's shoulder.

Almost allowing a grin to tug at the corner of her lips, the former Orochi balked when Homura, with a single tear falling down her cheek, wrapped her arms around her daughter's neck in a death grip which completely cut off her the blood flow to her daughter's brain. Glowering at Homura, but unable to find the courage to intervene, Setsuka had to watch as the Nobushi's daughter gagged, tightly gripped the back of her mother's kimono, and convulsed before going completely still nigh instantaneously. Hiding when Homura stood up while clutching her daughter close to her chest, she heard the Nobushi scoff.

"Enjoy the show?" Homura barked making Setsuka scoff as she took this as the cue to enter where she saw the Nobushi gently place her deceased daughter atop a large, red blanket and begin to wrap it around her body.

"No, I didn't. Homiko trusted you and you betrayed that trust in her last moments! How can you live with yourself!?" Setsuka roared and before she even knew it, she found herself on her back with a swift, skillful hip toss which made her hiss as Homura mounted her and tightly clamped her hands over her nose and mouth.

"Don't start with me; she was at death's door and there's no known treatment for her illness so I made the hard decision to put her out of her misery. Would you rather I let her suffer until she wastes away?" Homura inquired in a icy calm tone of voice as Setsuka tried to turn her head, but the Nobushi's grip was like iron causing Setsuka to let out a desperate, muffled gasp for air that would not come.

"I loved and still love Homiko so I can live with myself knowing that I took care of my little starlight from the beginning all the way to the end," Homura coolly continued all while Setsuka clawed at her wrists and arms and even pounded the inside of the Nobushi's elbow, but Homura's arms weren't budging.

Panting, Setsuka's grip slackened and her arms limply fell to the floor, but just before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, Homura relinquished her grip on the former Orochi's face causing Setsuka to greedily gulp breathes of air. Snorting, Homura roughly grabbed a nearly comatose Setsuka by her hair and dragged her across the floor over to the other side of her home where she unceremoniously threw open the door of a room causing the occupant to jolt.

"M-mother, what are you doing here!?" the occupant, a tall, athletically built teenager, shrieked as she nearly dropped the tray of food and tea she was carrying when she saw Homura holding what looked to be dead body in her hands.

"My new subordinate needs new clothes and since your bigger and taller than her, you need to give her some of her old ones," Homura bluntly ordered which made her daughter scoff, but nevertheless set the tray down on the cabinet and rummaged through her closet where she picked out a red undershirt, trousers, kimono, and boots.

"These will suffice," Homura stated as she threw Setsuka face first onto her daughter's bed like a sack of potatoes and tossed her daughter's old garments atop the former Orochi's body along with a spare wakizashi she carried on her person.

"Both of you get dressed; the annual martial arts festival between the different houses is upon us so it's the perfect time to curry favor with Fujikiyo," Homura explained causing her daughter to narrow her eyes while Setsuka regained some presence of mind and climbed onto all fours making the objects placed on her back to slide off.

"What's to be gained by flattering Fujikiyo-dono?" Homura's daughter suspiciously asked which made her mother grunt and put a hand on her hip as the former Orochi clutched her head while silently watching their exchange.

"Gaining his permission for us along with a fleet to leave the Myre and go to Ashfeld in order to return with sacrifices for Ranja and whatever Fujikiyo asks in return," Homura responded which made her daughter widen her eyes before gritting her teeth and glowering at the Nobushi with a gaze that could kill.

"What!? No, no way! I don't want any part in supporting her perversion of Shinto!" Homura's daughter defiantly yelled which made Setsuka wince as she knew what was coming next, but hoped for the small chance that the Nobushi would let this slide.

Sadly, reality set in as Homura, far faster than her daughter could perceive, closed the gap between them and seized her shirt collar where she forcefully shoved the teenager onto the bed and mounted her. Pressing her forearm against her daughter's throat, Homura disdainfully stared down at her eldest daughter who writhed and struggled underneath her.

"You are nearly an adult so it's time for you to start pulling your weight beyond our household. Like it or not, Ranja is your daimyo and you will serve her," the Nobushi said in a deathly calm tone of voice where she didn't even flinch upon receiving a stiff, heavy punch to her nose and simply pressed more of her weight down onto her child's throat.

"How can you say that? What's she's doing to our people, _the people we're supposed to be protecting,_ is terrible!" Homura's daughter choked out while slugging her mother in the kidney which, to Setsuka's surprise, actually made Homura wince before elbowing her daughter across the face which shaved off some of her daughter's skin.

"Of course it's terrible, but it's preventing Ranja from slipping farther into madness so it does serve a purpose and if our people follow the rules, I will protect them just like any other Nobushi," Homura retorted as she struck her daughter across the face once again making her child curse as a nasty bruise formed on her cheek.

"I'm so glad you can find a way to justify your cruelty!" Homura's daughter snarled with as much venom she could muster and to Setsuka's surprise, the Nobushi momentarily paused before she saw, to her horror, Homura reach into the pocket of her kimono and pull out a fistload resembling a horseshoe.

"W-wait! This is your daughter-"

"Do you wish to take her place?" Homura interrupted while narrowing her eyes at Setsuka which sent a cold chill like one of Valkenheim's freezing winters up Setsuka's spine causing the former Orochi to meekly dip her head.

"Don't worry, you'll heal in a few weeks," Homura assured her eldest daughter before brutally slugging her with the fistload which made the teenager howl in pain as her lip busted from the blow causing blood to splatter onto the blanket.

Savagely striking her eldest daughter again, the teenager shrieked as she felt as if someone was jamming a spike into her eye all while Setsuka watched while wracked with guilt that she couldn't find it within herself to help. Landing another punch on her daughter's forehead which opened up a nasty, bloody gash, the Nobushi saw that her child barely knew where she was at the moment causing Homura to relent and get off her child whose breathing came out in stuttered, pained spurts.

"You don't see it yet, but I'm toughening you up so you'll be able to handle yourself when I'm gone," Homura informed her eldest daughter while taking off the fist load and slipping it back into her pocket as Setsuka checked on her master's child, but gasped as she was roughly shoved away.

"Call it whatever you want, but when I'm an adult I'm taking Homiko somewhere far away where you can't get to her!" Homura's eldest daughter roared while spitting a glob of blood onto her mother's boot which made Setsuka widen her eyes, but to her relief Homura took this in stride.

"And where are you going to go? None of the other clans will accept you and the indigenous people are none too fond of us either so you won't find your _**special place**_ in the Myre. If you go to Ashfeld, you and Homiko will be either be sent to prison where you won't see the light of day again, be sent to the gallows, or be made a slave to one of the many nobles. I should also add that given how exotic you'll look to them, they'll make you a concubine instead," Homura ruthlessly tore apart her daughter's dream, but her eldest child stubbornly held her ground which made the Nobushi snort and begin to walk toward her daughter.

"You'll face similar problems in Valkenheim as you and Homiko will either get killed in a raid, get captured and made slaves, get sacrificed to honor their heathen deities, or all three. Face reality, Hagane; no matter how much I mistreat you, no matter how much you dislike Ranja's perversion of Shinto, this the only home you know and will ever know," Homura remorselessly stated as she now stood mere inches away from Hagane and glared down at her, but Hagane stood her ground and balled her hands into fists.

"So put to rest any dreams you have of escaping here and rescuing Homiko because that's not going to happen, the latter part especially," Homura stated while saying the last part in a solemn, downcast voice which made Hagane's blood run cold as she stared at her mother with wide, desolate eyes.

"W-what...w-what did-"

"I put her out of her misery, something you didn't have the stomach for despite claiming how much you love her," Homura cut her eldest daughter off as all Hagane all the indignant, fierce fury in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with an empty, thousand yard stare.

"Now get dressed because we leave at dawn for the festival," Homura stated as she exited the room where Hagane couldn't find it within herself to move or do anything anymore; she just didn't see the point.

Noticing this, Setsuka contemplated what to do and even though her culture wasn't one for touchy-feely kind of things, she was willing to make an exception. Embracing Hagane and letting the young woman rest her head on her shoulder, Homura's eldest daughter jolted and went stiff before allowing herself to return the hug.

"I...I was supposed to protect her," Hagane whimpered which made the former Orochi say nothing as she held the teenager close to her and gently rubbed her back.

"You did everything you could. Now come on, let's not keep your mother waiting," Setsuka advised which made Hagane give a barely noticeable nod in response as she proceeded to put on formal wear from her closet.

For a while, the two women changed in silence with Setsuka putting on the clothes given to her by Hagane while wincing every now and when Hagane spared a glance at her, she widened her eyes at upon seeing her brand marks.

"How can you serve her? I mean, look at what she did to you," Hagane pointed out which made Setsuka to go as still as a statue where she looked down at the floor with a sad, weary gaze and sighed heavily.

"I don't have a choice; I'm already in bad standing with our clan so if I mess up again, my fate is death...or worse," Setsuka explained dejectedly which made Hagane widen her eyes and sympathetically stare at the former Orochi who continued to put on her clothes with a pained expression on her face.

"Does Homura always do that to you?" Setsuka inquired causing Hagane to nod bitterly as memories of her mother's abuse against her and Homiko flooded into her head like a tidal wave.

"Yeah, she justified it by saying that she was toughening me up which you saw earlier and fortunately, she never laid a hand on Homiko, but seeing me get hurt and not being able to do anything about it must have been hard on her," Hagane replied as she recalled her baby sister practically trying and failing to tug Homura off of her during one particular beating.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," the former Orochi told Homura's daughter which made the teenager smile appreciatively as she put on a somen resembling an elephant complete with a trunk and tusks jutting out of it.

"The same goes for you," Hagane responded which made Setsuka grin as she finished putting on her clothes where she scanned her surroundings to complete the outfit and noticed a thick, wooden training sword hanging from a rack.

"May I?" the former Orochi requested making the teenager nod which made Setsuka take the suburito off the rack and meticulously inspect it for any flaws and found none much to her delight.

Throwing out a few experimental swings, Setsuka eagerly nodded in approval when she felt the weight and force behind each swing causing her to tie the weapons to her belt with some cord. Looking at herself in the mirror, she didn't mind that she looked more like a Nobushi than a Orochi as she beckoned for Hagane to follow her. Nodding, the teenager did so after grabbing her yari spear which had two prongs near the head, a rectangular, wooden shield, a tanto, and a kodachi. Exiting the house, they found Homura gently place a blanket containing Homiko's body onto a pyre she made from some kindling before looking over her shoulder at Hagane who was staring at her sister's body with downcast eyes.

"We'll cremate her when we get back from the festival," the Nobushi informed her daughter causing Hagane to say nothing as she, Homura, and Setsuka mounted their horses and headed into town where Ranja along with the warriors she handpicked were about to head out.

"You're bringing your little one?" Ranja said with a raised brow which made Hagane suppress an indignant scoff, but did narrow her eyes from underneath her mask which fortunately went unnoticed as Homura nodded.

"She's fifteen going onto sixteen so it's time for her to get more deeply involved in the well being of our clan," the Nobushi explained which made Ranja contemplate this before nodding as she motioned for the carriage driver to move while the mad daimyo's warriors rode beside her to dissuade any possible attackers.

"Why not bring your other daughter as well? It would be good experience for her," Ranja pointed out which made Hagane sadly dip her head with Setsuka consoling her by patting her shoulder while Homura sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, I put Homiko out of her misery earlier so she won't be joining us," the Nobushi solemnly commented which made the mad priestess widen her eyes for a very brief moment before sympathetically staring at her second.

"I'm sorry to hear that; do you want me to preside over the funeral?" Ranja offered in a genuine act of kindness which made Hagane and Setsuka glower at the mad priestess in disgust while Homura grinned ever so slightly.

"I appreciate the offer, but no thank you; I will see to it that Homiko is put to rest myself," Homura politely rejected the mad daimyo's proposal to which Ranja nodded while Hagane tightened her grip on the reins.

"As you wish," Ranja replied as she and her entourage turned the corner into toward a giant building shaped like a palace where they headed toward their designated area which was marked with their clan symbol consisting of their rose petals on red flags.

Dismounting the carriage, the mad daimyo beckoned her warriors to follow her inside where Ranja, her cabal of warriors, and Setsuka and Hagane followed her up the stairs toward a private area reserved for Ranja. Taking her seat on the ornate throne toward the front, Ranja sat up straight with her hands resting on the pommel of her nodachi while Homura and Yuuto took their seats behind her. Confusedly glancing at each other, Setsuka and Hagane just stood there while Homura motioned for a foot soldier to come closer where she whispered something into his ear.

"Ranja-dono, Setsuka-san and I will sit with the other ashiga-"

"No, you will not. You two will sit here for the duration of the festivities," Homura sharply interrupted as the foot soldier she talked to placed two kneeling mats at the feet of her chair causing Homura to blush lightly and grit their teeth while Setsuka narrowed her eyes.

"Mother, it's degrad-"

"I do not care what you refer it to; I gave you two an order and that's final," Homura cut Hagane off which made the teenager grasp her yari so tightly that her knuckles turned white while Setsuka snarled lowly, but nevertheless beckoned for Hagane to take her seat.

Giving the former Orochi a disbelieving look, Hagane growled under her breathe before she and Setsuka knelt down at the feet of Homura's chair like they were pets. Scanning the area, Setsuka saw Dokuja arrive and ever paranoid, sat alone in his box where his most skilled warriors were forced to sit with the ashigaru causing the assassin to shift her gaze where she saw Kizan and his group of warriors ascend the stairs of their box. This wouldn't be out of the ordinary were it not for the fact that Kizan along with his coalition of warriors had a concubine in each arm with some being the indigenous inhabitants of the Myre while others were citizens of the Chosen. Narrowing her eyes when she saw how clearly uncomfortable the concubines and boytoys were especially when some of them received firm slap on their rears, the assassin looked away from the obscene spectacle and saw that some of the boxes had yet to be filled.

"Oh look, little Ayu-chan has arrived," Homura mocked which made Setsuka and Hagane look around saw that Ayu had indeed entered the building where she sat next to her closest warriors which consisted of Okuma and Momiji.

"Without the Emperor's Champion, victory is almost certainly ours," Yuuto boasted while folding his arms which made Homura nod in agreement while Ranja snorted, but otherwise said nothing as she decided to scope out the competition.

"Little Ayu-chan has lost even when she did have the Emperor's champion, but you're right. Without him carrying her house to victory, we have already won," Homura stated less as singing her clan's praises and more as an absolute, iron clad fact which made Hagane snort while Setsuka huffed.

"You two might want to rethink your opinion," Setsuka interjected while flicking her thumb to the side causing Homura and Yuuto to raise a brow and look in the direction the assassin was pointing where they saw Seijuro and his house arrive.

While Seijuro was already disliked by his fellow daimyo, the scorn increased when certain members of the audience such as Homura, Ayu, and Dokuja saw that some of his foot soldiers consisted of the Myre's native inhabitants and some of his closest warriors were clearly of Warborn, Legion, or Native descent. Others, like Ranja, Hagane, Setsuka, and Kizan, were more indifferent to it as the mad priestess merely raised a brow, but otherwise remain stone faced while Kizan just shrugged and returned his attention to his consorts.

"I thought even Seijuro would have standards, but it's clear he's willing to go to any lengths to ascend to the throne," Ayu disdainfully remarked causing Momiji to grumble and cast a weary glance at her which was clear to see even with her mask on while Okuma uncomfortably rubbed the back of his head.

"Ayu, don't forget I descend from the so called savages," Okuma reminded as he thanked one of the servants for bringing him food and drink causing Ayu to grunt as she scoped out the competition and saw to her dismay that Ranja was in attendance.

"I'm aware, but you are better than your ancestors for accepting our culture over theirs," Ayu replied causing Momiji to resist the great, overwhelming urge to curse Ayu out and instead just shook her head as she thanked a Native servant girl for bringing her food.

"I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, Ayu," Okuma gently, but firmly retorted with Momiji wondering how he did not flip his shit as she suddenly bolted upright and tightly gripped her weapon.

Without even looking to see who the Nobushi was alarmed about, Okuma quickly rose to his feet with his weapon ready to strike causing Ayu to look in the direction of the possible foe and narrowed her eyes when she saw an emissary from Seijuro's clan standing before them.

"Greetings, Okuma-san, Momiji-san, and Ayu-sama. Seijuro-dono wishes to extend his greetings to you all," the emissary, a woman with Legion and Chosen descent who was wearing a scaled down version of a Shugoki's armor, a chigiriki flail attached to her belt, a wooden shield similar to the ones the ashigaru utilized, and a somen resembling a komainu cordially addressed.

"His wish will go unfulfilled, now what do you want?" Ayu inquired with an ever so slight edge to her tone which didn't perturb the emissary as she held her hands up in a placating gesture.

"Seijuro-dono thinks that considering our houses have the least...tense relations compared to the others, it would be in our best interests to ally ourselves. After all, it's good to know whom you can trust in times of crisis, is it not?" the emissary reasoned, but Ayu wasn't having any of it as she motioned for the soldiers to get rid of the emissary who began to slowly back up while keeping her gaze on the daimyo.

"He says ally ourselves, but I know that he intends to be the dominant partner; away with you," Ayu dismissed causing the emissary to spare a glance over her shoulder where she saw Seijuro intently watching her and Ayu.

"B-but...but Ayu-sama-"

"I said, away with you," Ayu snapped causing the emissary to sigh in defeat and respectfully bow to her, Okuma, and Momiji.

"Of course, I'm sorry for bothering you, Ayu-sama," the emissary politely stated before taking her leave which made Okuma grunt, but otherwise say nothing as he sat back down while Momiji put a hand on her hip.

"She has a point; I'm sure if you talk to Fujikiyo and Tozen, they would be more than willing to help-"

"I do not want to hear anymore talk of alliances, Momiji. Our house is doing just fine on its own," Ayu interrupted which made Okuma shake his head while Momiji rolled her eyes which went unnoticed thanks to her mask.

"It was just a suggestion," Momiji grumbled making Ayu scoff as she saw Fujikiyo and Tozen enter the building with their warriors and go to their designated areas until Okuma patted her arm and gestured with his head to the side.

Looking in the direction he motioned at, Ayu's eyes widened before she tightened her grip on her odachi as she saw Homura along with an Orochi and a Spearmen before them.

"Time and time again you ask me to ally with Ranja and time and time again I tell you no. How has the point not gotten across?" Ayu nearly yelled at Homura, but managed to just raise her voice causing the Nobushi to smugly smirk and put a hand on her hip.

"Don't worry, the point has gotten across... _Ayu-chan._ I'm just asking to annoy you and to a far, far lesser extent, out of courtesy," Homura replied causing Ayu to growl under her breathe while Momiji glared at the elderly warrior.

"You will mind your tongue when addressing her, Homura," Momiji reprimanded, but the elderly warrior was more amused than intimidated as she stood toe to toe with the younger Nobushi and stared down at her where he smug grin turned into a savage, animalistic one.

"We'll shed our hostilities in the ring, _little one._ If you beat me, then you can tell me how I should watch how I speak all you want," Homura retorted in a rough, feral tone, but Momiji didn't back down as the elderly warrior walked away and gestured for her cohorts to follow her.

"Oh, before I go, I should mention that Yuuto has been _dying_ for a rematch against you, Okuma," Homura remarked causing the Shugoki to remain impassive and grunt.

"I'm sure he has," Okuma replied with an indifferent shrug making Homura's grin turn into a derisive frown before walking away without even bowing to either of them with her subordinates in tow.

* * *

"Ah, that's it?" Isabelle groaned as she peeked inside the wine bottle for any trace of the alcoholic substance and found little to none of it causing the Peacekeeper to sigh heavily and fling the empty bottle over her shoulder where it shattered with a loud crash.

"It's no fun drinking by yourself. I wish Valentina and Helena were here," Isabelle grumbled as she contemplated on what to do before an idea came to mind, albeit one that would get her into serious trouble should she be found out.

Furiously scanning her personal study for any potential spies and relieved to find none, Isabelle undid her belt, slumped in her chair, and slipped her hand into her trousers...only to hear terrified screams and steel clashing on steel outside. Jolting, the Warlord of the Noble Legion rushed over to the window and didn't care about the fact that her pants fell to the floor where she saw, to her horror, viking marauders laying waste to her village with the local guard doing their best to hold them off.

"How did they get here!? They would have to get through Harrowgate first..."Isabelle trailed off only for a grim realization to hit her as she suddenly heard a violent, exuberant melee happening outside of the hall leading to her personal study.

"Dame Isabelle, Dame Isabelle! We're under att-hrghk!" a knight shouted only for sickening, gut wrenching squelch to echo throughout the hall and the sound of something akin to water to pour onto the floor as a Valkyrie kicked in the door to Isabelle's personal study with the half of her spear pierced through a knights' throat.

" _ **So far, these fights have been pretty boring. Let's see if you put up more resistance,"** _the Valkyrie remarked in her native tongue as a torrent of blood shot upward like a geyser when she freed her spear from the knight's throat which made Isabelle spare subtle glance at her trousers which had her arming sword and dagger hanging from the belt.

As if reading her mind, the Valkyrie smirked and kicked Isabelle's trousers into the hallway with her back foot and slammed the door behind her which made the Peacekeeper grit her teeth as she grabbed a wine bottle from her desk. Slamming it against the hard wood which splintered the lower half into razor sharp, jagged edges, Isabelle brandished her improvised weapon at the Valkyrie who let out a hearty, arrogant laugh and advanced on the Peacekeeper.

" _What can I do? She can keep me at a distance with her spear and any attacks I try to do are likely to get blocked by her shield especially in such close quarters,"_ Isabelle thought to herself as she backed up and quickly looked over her shoulder to keep aware of her surroundings as an idea came to mind when she saw the open window.

" _It's not too far of a fall,"_ the Warlord of the Noble Legion mused as she kicked a cup half filled with wine sitting on an miniature table at the Valkyrie's face making the marauder cry out as the wine smeared her eyes and temporarily blinded her.

Turning on her back foot, Isabelle sprinted toward the open window and leaped out of it just as the Valkyrie regained her vision causing the viking to confusedly look around and then jog over to the window where she saw the Peacekeeper falling toward the ground.

" _ **Coward!"** _ the Valkryie roared in Nordic as Isabelle braced for impact and hit the ground with a bone crunching thud making her wheeze and tightly clutch her gut as she slowly climbed to her feet with a pained groan.

Forcing down as much of the pain as she could, the Peacekeeper looked around for another weapon where she picked up a fallen, piece of wood and ran toward the nearest source of screams. Turning the corner, the Peacekeeper saw a woman and her child backing up from a Berserker who had split the father's head in two causing Isabelle to whistle to catch his attention while accurately kicking a rock at him. Jolting, the Berserker turned his head to the source of the noise only to grimace when a tough, stiff stone crashed into his forehead making the warrior stagger which Isabelle took full advantage of and charged toward him. Stabbing at his gut, the marauder regained his bearings at the last second and spun to the side while swiping at her head with his axe causing Isabelle to wait until the last possible second before ducking underneath the attack. Viciously stabbing the viking in his groin with her jagged wine bottle, the marauder howled in agony and collapsed on his back while tightly clutching his mangled, bloodied groin. Finishing off the Berserker with a stiff, brutal strike to the crown of his skull with her piece of hardwood which caved in his skull with a sickening crack, Isabelle turned to the woman and her child.

"Find somewhere safe and away from this madness and hide," Isabelle ordered making the woman fearfully nod and lead her child away where the Peacekeeper kept an eye on them until she was sure that no vikings were pursuing them.

Running to the next source of screams, she saw a captain of the local guard whom she was familiar with holding his own against a Raider, Shaman, and Warlord by blocking, parrying, and deflecting powerful, swift strikes aimed at him with a war banner bearing the insignia of the Noble Legion. Whistling again, but this time to catch the Shaman's focus, the mad woman looked in the direction of the sound only to be struck by a rock on the back of her head causing the Shaman to bare her teeth as she stepped back to avoid a thrust at her heart from the War Banner Captain. Surveying the area to find the new threat, the mad woman was blindsided when Isabelle suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and proceeded to gouge her sides with her broken wine bottle. Hissing and lurching forward, the Shaman tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll when Isabelle rammed her shoulder into her gut causing the Raider to disengage with the War Banner Captain and advance on Isabelle. Swatting a quick axe swing aside with her improvised weapons, the Peacekeeper was unprepared when the Raider suddenly stepped into her guard and fiercely struck her across the face with the bottom portion of his axe on the backswing which knocked her to the ground.

Tasting blood, Isabelle, despite feeling like a stampede of horses just ran over her jaw, managed to see through her blurry vision the Raider bringing his axe up for the finishing blow. Kicking the marauder in between his legs, the Raider hissed and hobbled backward as Isabelle rolled to her feet where she stepped back to avoid a wild swing from her opponent and prepared to lunge forward and underneath the next blow. However, the Raider suddenly bashed her forehead with the pommel of his axe causing the cobwebs in Isabelle's head to come back with a vengeance where she just barely managed to bring her improvised weapons up to block the follow up attack. Despite this, the Peacekeeper winced as the axe grazed her arm which left a searing, superficial slash on the limb as the Raider feinted a swing from his weapon which Isabelle fell for when she normally wouldn't allowing the Viking to smash the shaft of his weapon against her gut.

Dry heaving, the Peacekeeper lurched forward causing the Raider to viciously slug Isabelle across the face making her see stars and hoist her onto his shoulders where he charged toward the wall as fast as his legs could carry him. Regaining her bearings, Isabelle plunged her jagged wine bottle into the Raider's neck making the Warborn warrior screech and keel over sending the Peacekeeper hurtling through the air. Tucking herself into a ball and placing her hands on the back of her head, Isabelle braced for impact where she cried out when she roughly hit the cold, unforgiving ground and uncontrollably fell end over end as if she was thrown from her horse. Groaning and rubbing her head, the Peacekeeper pushed herself off of the ground where she saw double only to hear something like a wild, starving animal rushing toward her. Knowing full well what it was without even having to look, Isabelle rolled to the side just as the Shaman landed on the part of the ground where her head once was and crouched down like she was an animal on the hunt.

Readying herself and grasping her length of wood with both hands due to her improvised dagger being stuck in the Raider's neck, the Peacekeeper slowly circled the mad woman only to hear something flying through the air behind her. Immediately sprawling to the ground, Isabelle watched as a javelin embedded itself into an abandoned cart where she quickly looked over her shoulder and saw the Valkyrie who invaded her personal study joining the fray.

" _ **Mind if I join?"**_ the Valkyrie asked the Shaman while brandishing her spear with a low, dark chuckle making the mad woman wildly grin and tighten her grip on her weapons as Isabelle looked around for something that could stand in for a dagger.

" _ **To your heart's content,"**_ the Shaman replied making the Valkyrie smirk as she and the Shaman attacked simultaneously causing Isabelle to leap to the side and with adrenaline pumping through her veins, leaned her head to avoid a thrust from the Shaman's knife before trapping the offending arm underneath her armpit.

Bashing her forehead against the Shaman's skull to daze her, Isabelle spun the mad woman around and wrapped an arm around her throat along with pressing the jagged, sharp edge of her improvised weapon against the Viking's throat. Slowly advancing on the Valkyrie, the Warborn warrior growled and backpedaled while looking for an opening to both save her cohort along with dealing a severe blow to the Peacekeeper.

" _ **Are you really this much of a coward!?"**_ the Valkyrie barked at the Warlord of the Noble Legion who scoffed as she continued to move toward her foe which made the viking back up while gritting her teeth.

" _ **Cowardice has a place on the battlefield as does valor, the trick is to know which one to use depending on the situation,"**_ Isabelle calmly retorted in Nordic as in one, seamless motion, she plunged her jagged length of wood deep into the Shaman's neck, shoved the mad woman toward her opponent, and appropriated the Shaman's hatchet and dagger for herself.

The Valkyrie's eyes went as wide as saucers as she stumbled back when she caught her ally who was violently choking on her own blood before howling in pain as a dagger embedded itself into her thigh while she was distracted. Gasping, the Valkyrie fell to her knees and unconsciously dropped her spear in order to grasp her leg which had blood pouring out of it like a raging river where she looked up and saw Isabelle looming over her. Snarling like a cornered animal, the Valkyrie wildly struck out with her shield...only for the Peacekeeper to lazily dodge the attack sending the marauder crashing down into the dirt face first.

" _ **Yield, there is no need for further bloodshed. And before you say anything, I'm not going to make you a slave despite what your culture has led you to believe,"**_ Isabelle reasoned as she sat on the Valkyrie's back, trapped one of her arms underneath her armpit, and held the Shaman's hatchet overhead.

" _ **So what!? I'd rather die than be your prisoner!"**_ the Valkyrie defiantly roared making the Peacekeeper groan irritably and roll her eyes as she thwacked the viking on the back of her head with the pommel of her hatchet.

Yelping, the viking fell unconscious causing the Peacekeeper to bind her wrists and ankles and free her dagger from her opponent's leg where she focused on the Warlord who placed his shield against the War Banner Captain's chest and began shoving him toward the wall. Acting fast, Isabelle chucked her axe at the Warlord who cried out and buckled as the weapon dug deep into the back of his knee allowing the knight to thrust the tip of the pole through the Viking's mouth with a wet squelch. Yanking his improvised weapon free from the Warlord's mouth which caused a spray of blood to erupt from the Viking's jaw when he did so, the War Banner Captain attached the flag to his back and picked up his fallen longsword which he had been disarmed of earlier.

"Marco, give me a quick run down of what happened," Isabelle ordered while kneeling down and tearing off a piece of her shirt where she wrapped the cloth around the soldier's twisted ankle causing the War Banner Captain to nod gratefully.

"Of course; Viking marauders appeared at the outer gates earlier today so Adrian, members of the local guard, and I readied the defenses, but they made use of siege engines to get around this. I along with several others stayed behind to hold them off for as long as possible while Adrian tried to usher as many civilians to safety as possible, but as you can see, we weren't fast enough," Marco bitterly explained while gesturing at some of the fallen citizenry who were decapitated, eviscerated, gored, or all three which made the Peacekeeper sigh heavily as she retrieved her hatchet.

"I see; we'll mourn our fallen after we push the invaders back. For now, let's find Adrian and reinforce him," the Peacekeeper commanded which made the War Banner Captain nod as he ordered some of the soldiers who had arrived on the scene to take the unconscious Valkyrie to the holding cells.

Dutifully nodding, the soldiers carried the Valkyrie away as Isabelle followed Marco to where he last saw Adrian where the Peacekeeper contemplated as to how this attack could have happened.

"They only way the Warborn could launch on organized raid like this so far from Harrowgate is-"

"That they either conquered it or are damn near close to it," Marco interrupted which made Isabelle nod as she continued to follow the War Banner Captain while keeping an eye out for any stragglers.

"I'm still not sending any of my troops to Harrowgate; all this attack shows is that we need better defenses and more troops to man them," the Warlord of the Noble Legion replied which made Marco nod as they noticed a man trapped underneath some debris causing the War Banner Captain and the Peacekeeper to rush over to him.

"I understand, but perhaps there's something else the Noble Legion could do to help besides sending over much needed supplies?" the soldier suggested which made Isabelle grunt say nothing as the duo counted to three and lifted the rubble off of the man who slid out from underneath the wreckage.

"Th-thank you-"

"You're welcome, now stay hidden until this battle dies down," the Peacekeeper advised causing the man to fearfully nod as he hobbled back into the wrecked remnant of his home and hid behind some debris.

"Look, if Harrowgate has fallen, then from a logical standpoint there's no use in sending over troops to a battle that's already lost. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to send over scouts to check out the situation," Isabelle reasoned which made the War Banner Captain grunt as he led the Peacekeeper to the town square where they saw Adrian holding his ground against two Raiders, a Berserker, a Highlander, a Spearmen, and a Captain wielding an axe with his sturdy heater shield.

Having had his short sword and back up dagger knocked out of his hands, Adrian counterattacked with his staff resembling an ouroboros whenever the opportunity presented itself as Marco aided him in combating the Highlander, the Raider, and the Warborn Captain while Isabelle engaged the other Raider, Spearmen, and Berserker.

"You guys came just in time!" Adrian shouted with a boisterous laugh as he stepped to the side and batted away a strike from the Highlander's claymore while Marco clashed weapons with the captain for a split second.

Gritting his teeth, the War Banner Captain stepped inside the marauder's guard and angled his longsword so it was pointing at the Warborn warrior's heart where he thrust the tip of his blade toward the vital organ. Anticipating this, the Axe Captain stepped aside causing the longsword to pass mere inches from his chest where he used the momentum to strike Marco across the face with the bottom shaft of his weapon. Hissing, the soldier regained his bearings and leaned back to avoid a swing at his chest where he smashed the pommel of his longsword against the marauder's face making the Axe Captain grimace and stumble back allowing Marco to spare a glance at his cohort.

"The citizenry-"

"I got everyone I could to a safe location and the ones I couldn't I told to stay low and out of sight until it's safe to come out," Adrian interrupted as he was forced to his knees when he felt the full weight of the Highlander's claymore come crashing down on his heater shield making the Captain grimace where he saw the Spearmen advancing on him.

Ignoring the encroaching numbness in his arm, the Highlander gasped as he was tossed end over end onto the ground when Adrian shifted his weight as the Flag Bearer Captain saw the Spearmen rear his arm back. Skillfully, Adrian brought his shield up causing his opponent's spear to scrape the shield sending an array of hot sparks flying into the air where he thrust his flag into his foe's gut. Yelping as the spikes on the flag proved to be for more than show as they plunged a few inches into his stomach, the Spearmen staggered back which Adrian took full advantage of as he lunged forward and thrust the spikes of the flag through the viking's throat. Croaking, the Spearmen coughed up a spray of blood before hitting the ground while clutching at his throat causing the Flag Bearer to grimly shake his head before refocusing on the battle.

" _ **Didn't know the tin cans let you whore around like that!"**_ the Raider mocked while gesturing at the Peacekeeper's nearly bare lower body as he feinted a powerful swing with her right axe only to then lash out with a swift cut from the same side which Isabelle blocked only to be pushed back by the Berserker's relentless offense.

" _ **You're judging me on my attire? That's rich,"**_ Isabelle retorted before gnashing her teeth as the Berserker made a vicious, brutal cut on her face starting from her right cheek and stretching all the way below her left eye.

Partially blocking the follow up attack only to grimace when the axe shallowly dug into her shoulder, Isabelle ducked underneath the next strike where she saw her foe had left her side completely exposed. Before the Peacekeeper could take advantage of this, her instincts screamed at her to dodge which she tried to do only to shriek as the Raider's axe sliced down her back making a nasty, savage laceration on her backside. Refusing to fall, Isabelle forced down as much of the pain as she could as she dodged a strike from the Raider only to hiss as the Berserker's axe raked down her chest making the Peacekeeper feel light-headed, but pressed onward regardless. Dipping to the side to avoid the Berserker's volley of attacks, Isabelle retched as the Raider slammed the shaft of his weapon against her gut and while she was doubled over, hoisted her over his shoulders and began to charge toward the wall.

"Dame Isabelle!" Adrian and Marco shouted as they tried to break off the fight to help her, but the Highlander, Raider, and the Axe Captain doggedly pursued them forcing the duo to begrudgingly focus on the fight in front of them.

Using her last ounce of strength, Isabelle expertly flung her stolen knife at the Berserker who yelped and stumbled about like a drunkard when the dagger embedded itself deep into her cheek before toppling over where she lay completely still. Feeling the air knocked out of her when the Raider slammed her against the wall, Isabelle crumpled to the ground desperately trying to catch her breathe where she saw her foe rear his leg back. Unable to lift her arms up, the Peacekeeper turned her face away from the strike as best she could where she grimaced as a sickening crack echoed throughout the battlefield when the Raider brutally smashed his knee against her face. Gritting her teeth as blood poured down from her cracked, broken nose and onto her clothing like a waterfall, Isabelle fought to stay conscious as the Raider tightly wrapped his hands around her neck and hoisted her up into the air.

" _ **Hah! Weak just like the other knights we've come across!"**_ the Raider roared directly into Isabelle's face which made the Peacekeeper spit a wad of blood onto his eyes making the Viking yelp and unconsciously release his grip on the Peacekeeper.

Grunting as she hit the ground, Isabelle scanned the area and saw the Shaman's hatchet she stole lying on the dirt a few feet away causing her to crawl over to it where she felt as if her body weighed a ton. Just as she reached out to it, she hissed as the Raider roughly grabbed a handful of her hair and slammed her against the wall where he pulled his arm back.

" _ **No armor!"**_ the Raider roared as he viciously slugged the Peacekeeper across the face causing a spray of blood to fly from Isabelle's mouth and splatter the wooden railing of an abandoned shop like it was paint.

" _ **No weapons!"**_ the Raider barked as he harshly punched Isabelle yet again making the Peacekeeper wince and feel a tear welling at her eye as her cheek bone was crushed from the savage blow.

" _ **And no skill!"**_ the Viking yelled triumphantly as he socked Isabelle in the gut making the Peacekeeper vomit the contents of her stomach where she lost all feeling in her body as the Raider struck her yet again which made her head snap back and eye completely swell shut.

" _ **Just another tin can trying to be a true warrior!"**_ the Raider mocked as he let Isabelle drop to the floor where the Peacekeeper tightly clutched her gut and greedily gulped down breathes of air as her opponent brought his axe up.

Before he could bring his weapon down on her head, he quizzically tilted his head when he saw Isabelle...smirking?

" _ **What are you smiling about?"**_ the Raider barked as the Peacekeeper coughed up a mixture of bile and blood onto and wiped her lips with her forearm before looking up at the Viking with the same smug grin on her face.

" _ **You didn't mind your surroundings,"**_ Isabelle said in a voice above a whisper as she suddenly rolled to the side and kicked a wooden plank which was supporting a structure lifting up a heavy stack of concrete blocks onto upper area of a building.

Widening his eyes when he saw the bricks come crashing down, the Raider quickly dove out of the way and with his heart racing, turned back where he saw the blocks hit the ground with an earthshaking thud where, after a moment, an arrogant grin of his own came to his face.

" _ **That was the trick up your sleeve!? Hah, you certainly don't compare to the likes of Loki and-ugh!"**_ the Raider started to boast until Gunnarr abruptly crashed into him with the force of a raging bull and forcefully shoved him all the way to the wall with Wallace not too far behind.

Crying out as he was harshly slammed against the wall, the Raider doubled over and couldn't do anything as Wallace brought his claymore up and swung it down on the marauder's head which violently split his head in two with a sickening, bloody crack.

"Should have just finished her off," Gunnarr remarked with a contemptuous shake of his head with Wallace nodding in agreement as the duo saw saw Bellatrix and Azusa helping Isabelle walk where they gently set her down on a chunk of wood.

"Thanks guys; don't worry, I can still fight," the Peacekeeper assured them as she bent her nose back into place and then spitting a glob of blood onto the ground before making an impromptu bandage and dressing with torn off pieces of her clothing.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," Azusa pointed out causing the Peacekeeper to grumble as she wrapped the dressing around her injured eye before slowly standing up where she sucked in a pained breathe.

"I'm aware, but my people are in danger and I won't stand idly by while they're being slaughtered," Isabelle retorted as she released the breathe she was holding and looked around for any weapons to use causing Azusa to hand her a spare kunai while Bellatrix gave her one of the gladius' she had on her person.

Gratefully nodding, the group of fighters reentered the battle with Bellatrix ruthlessly bashing her parma against the face of her foes or stabbing their feet, Wallace swinging his sword in arcs to keep his foes at bay and as momentum for his next strike, Gunnarr headbutting and then stabbing his foes in their chests, and Azusa accurately landing shots to the invader's exposed necks with her bow. Isabelle, despite the loss in depth perception, became a whirlwind of death as she mowed through the Spearmen with ease by either slitting their throats or stabbing them in the neck as Bellatrix left the Highlander punch drunk with a stiff punch from her parma allowing Azusa to land a devastating shot to the battle thrall's neck. Gargling, the Highlander dropped his claymore and clutched his neck as Wallace to ended his suffering by running him through with his blade making the marauder gasp and grasp the cold steel with shaky hands.

"Forgive me, brother," Wallace apologized to his fellow Highlander as he yanked his claymore out of his foe's chest forcing the dazed Highlander onto his knees and then decapitated him with a strong, swift strike of his sword.

"This is why I left; he most likely didn't want to be part of this raid, but he had no choice," Wallace solemnly mused before helping Azusa and Bellatrix take on what remained of the enemy forces in the town square.

Gunnarr, in the meantime, had engaged the Axe Captain when he gained the upper hand against Marco and calmly blocked the oncoming blows while waiting for his chance to strike.

" _ **You fight for the enemy!? Coward, traitor!"**_ the Axe Captain shouted at Gunnarr as he swung his weapon at the Warlord who stopped the blow in its tracks with his sword and then swatted the weapon away with a quick bash from his wooden shield.

" _ **I'm not fighting for this legion or any legion; I'm just defending my home and neighbors,"**_ Gunnarr replied as he blocked another strike from his foe and slammed the edge of his shield into the Captain's chest in a punching motion making the Warborn warrior wince.

" _ **You're the worst kind of Viking! You make nice with our enemies, you even marry one, and you pretend to be some sort of farmer! Valhalla is forever closed to you!"**_ the Axe Captain yelled as he feinted a strike and then came downward with an overhead slash which lightly cut Gunnarr's shoulder making the Warlord grunt before smashing his shield against his opponent's kneecap forcing the marauder to his knees.

" _ **Our people are farmers as well as raiders, young one. Besides, I always wanted to go to Folkvangr anyway,"**_ Gunnarr retorted as he plunged his blade into his foe's shoulder and then viciously smacked him across the cheek with his shield which completely shattered the Axe Captain's cheek bone and sent one of his teeth flying out of his mouth.

Releasing a breathe, the Warlord turned around and helped Isabelle, Azusa, Bellatrix, Wallace, Adrian, and Marco push the last of the invaders back into the forest where the Peacekeeper ducked under a wide, undisciplined swing from a Captain's sword and plunged her gladius into their unarmored leg and her kunai into their bare shoulder. Howling in pain, the Captain collapsed onto their knees giving Isabelle the perfect opportunity to harshly thrust her knee up into their chin making the Warborn warrior's head violently snap back and her helmet to go flying off their head. Advancing on her downed foe while motioning for Marco and Adrian to begin checking the bodies to identify which clan the invaders belonged to, Isabelle planted her boot on the Captain's chest and pressed the tip of her gladius at her opponent's throat. However, Isabelle raised a brow when she saw her foe was a woman from the Myre who looked no older than seventeen and had a brand in the shape of a crow on her face as if she were cattle which permanently bloodied the woman's sclera and grayed out her iris.

" _ **You're a battle thrall?"**_ Isabelle inquired in Japanese while sheathing her gladius and kunai causing the woman to widen her eyes before sadly nodding causing the Peacekeeper to extend a hand to her former foe.

" _ **Y-yes; th-they told me if I didn't fight, they would kill my family,"**_ the woman responded as Isabelle helped her walk over to a plank of wood and gently set her down against it as Wallace and Gunnarr, overhearing the conversation, approached them.

" _ **I'm sorry to tell you this, but your family is most likely dead,"**_ Gunnarr tactfully stated causing the woman's eyes to go as wide as saucers and tears to form at her eyes as Wallace empathetically stared at his fellow former battle thrall, knowing exactly what the feeling was like.

" _ **N-no...th-they said-"**_

" _ **I know, but it was a lie. The only reason the other clans would send thralls onto the battlefield is if they needed extra bodies to soak up enemy fire and didn't want to risk the lives of their own clan to do it...or if they wanted to punish a particularly unruly thrall,"**_ Gunnarr gently explained causing the woman to just shut down as tears rolled down her face like raindrops causing Azusa to walk over and pull the woman into an affectionate embrace.

" _ **I understand what you're feeling, young one. My people were conquered by the Vikings and we were always under threat of being wiped off the face of the Earth if we didn't comply with our master's orders. Defiance was...severe as you have seen,"**_ Wallace told the woman while patting her shoulder making the former battle thrall to jolt and inch further into Azusa's embrace to get away from him making the Highlander sigh, but understood her reaction.

"This seemed to be a joint attack, my lady, most likely to support their invasion. We found multiple bodies with different clan emblems on them," Adrian informed the Peacekeeper who nodded slowly as she started to get up only to fall forward when her body flared up in pain causing Marco to catch her.

"How many did we lose and how did the defenses hold up?" Isabelle asked while gratefully nodding at the War Banner Captain and gently pushing him away so she could stand on her own power where she sucked in a breathe and let it back out.

"We lost twenty of our troops and the defenses held despite the losses we've suffered," Marco answered which made Isabelle nod as she overlooked the destruction of her village and saw the citizenry gathering what belongings of theirs they could find.

"I'll oversee the funeral of our fallen; Marco, Adrian, help me deal with the corpses and then check out the situation at Harrowgate. If the battle looks salvageable, then I might consider lending more aid. If it doesn't, then we'll continue to hold the line and wait for the vikings to come to us," the Warlord of the Noble Legion ordered causing her two subordinates to dutifully nod and begin to head to the barracks only for Marco to suddenly pause.

"My lady, I didn't say this earlier because there were more important matters to attend to, but now that there's time I have to ask if one of the Vikings tried to violate you-"

"Y-yes...that's what happened," Isabelle interrupted while turning her head away and covering her face with her hand as light blush formed on her face causing the War Banner Captain to tilt his head, but shrugged as he began stacking the bodies on top of each other.

" _ **What's your name and how long have you been a thrall?"**_ Isabelle asked the battle thrall while putting a hand on her hip causing the woman to glance at Azusa who assured her that the Peacekeeper didn't have any sinister, ulterior motives in mind.

" _ **My name is Taki and my family and I were captured when I was eight, I think"**_ the slave warrior responded causing Isabelle to nod as she grabbed one corpse by its arm and flung it onto the pile.

" _ **Well Taki, you're certainly in a...complex situation. Tell you what, help us deal with the bodies and I'll see what I can do about arranging transport to the Myre,"**_ Isabelle offered which made Taki's eyes light up like they were stars in the night sky and after a moment of befuddlement, eagerly nodded.

" _ **Yes, th-thank you-"**_

" _ **We can't just show up in the Myre claiming to have a lost citizen of the Chosen without knowing what house she belonged to and who she descended from,"**_ Azusa bluntly interjected which made Taki's elated expression fall from her face causing Azusa to put a hand on the former slave warrior's shoulder.

" _ **I'm sorry, that was rude. However, we still need to discern more about your history before returning to your homeland,"**_ Azusa pointed out in a much calmer and less abrasive tone of voice which made Taki grumble, but saw what the Archer was getting at as Isabelle cleared her throat.

" _ **We'll cross that bridge later; for now, let's deal with the bodies,"**_ Isabelle stated causing the Archer to nod as she reached down and tossed a corpse onto another pile Gunnarr started as the Peacekeeper saw a soldier approaching her while holding her trousers.

"My lady, you appear to have lost these," the soldier pointed out while holding Isabelle's pants to her causing the Peacekeeper to gratefully nod and dismiss the soldier as she put on her lost pair of pants.

" _I need to start carrying a spare pair of trousers on me...and a lot more weapons,"_ Isabelle mused inside her head as she attached the gladius and kunai she was given next to her arming sword and dagger on her belt.

* * *

Groaning, Valentina's eyes groggily fluttered open where she saw through her blurry vision that she was in a tent of some sorts causing her to instinctively try to sit up only to grimace as the wounds on her face flared up in searing pain. Hissing, the Warden clutched her heavily bandaged face and with herculean effort, got out of bed where she resisted the urge to crumple onto her knees as a servant girl entered the tent and saw Valentina favoring her left side while clutching her bruised gut.

"My lady, you should be resting! Maris, go tell Lady Sabine that her guest is up and about!" the servant girl ordered her fellow as she rushed toward the Warden and gently gripped her arm causing Valentina to narrow her eyes.

"Where am I?" the Warden tersely asked as she refused to budge when the servant girl tried to guide her back to her cot causing the servant girl to hold her hands up in a placating gesture.

"You're in Lord Cross's camp, my lady," the servant girl answered causing Valentina's eyes to go wide as it took a moment to process what she had heard.

"Cross, as in Holden Cross?" Valentina repeated causing the servant girl to nod as the Warden allowed the servant girl to help her walk to her cot where Valentina sat down while trying to understand the implications of this turn of events.

"Yes, my lady. Sabine and her scouts brought you here after you were defeated-"

"That fight didn't count!" Valentina yelled frustratedly causing the servant girl to recoil and back up where she felt herself bump into something causing her to turn around and immediately dip her head when she saw who it was.

"A loss can turn into victories if you learn from it, but that lesson seems to be lost on you," Sabine, the Conqueror who had brought Valentina to camp, coolly remarked causing the Warden to dismissively grunt.

"Ashley, thank you for watching my guest and please extend my gratitude to Maris as well," the Conqueror politely requested in a soothing, serene tone of voice making the servant girl nod as she exited the tent leaving Sabine and Valentina alone with each other.

"Are you feeling better?" Sabine inquired while grabbing a chair and setting it down next to Valentina's cot causing the Warden to nod slowly while tentatively touching the bruise on her face.

"I still feel a little stinging pain, but it's not debilitating," Valentina replied as Sabine nodded slowly and scooted her chair closer to the Warden's bed where she sat up straight and gazed at Valentina with her eyes narrowed.

"Now that we're better acquainted, can you please tell me why you've been giving my little sister, Helena, such a hard time?" the Conqueror politely requested causing Valentina's eyes to go wide as she stared at the sturdily built woman before her with her head tilted.

"Y-you're Helena's sister? I didn't-"

"She has two actually, but let's stay on topic. From what I read of the letters she sent me, she's enjoying her time in the Noble Legion and gets along with everyone...except for you. May I ask what she has done to earn your ire?" the Conqueror cordially asked causing Valentina to grumble and awkwardly scratch the back of her head before giving an unsure shrug in response.

"I don't know, okay! She's not doing anything wrong; it's just that whenever I see her with my mother-"

"Oh, I understand now," Sabine interrupted which made the Warden recoil before bolting upright where she glared at Sabine who remained seated and crossed one leg over the other.

"And what do you understand, huh!?" Valentina shrieked with an ever so slight blush forming on her face causing Sabine to just calmly stare back at her and gesture for the Warden to sit back down.

"You're angry that Helena seems to be closer to Dame Isabelle than you do. Have you considered that maybe if you didn't train all day, regurgitate the racist tirades of the knight you trained under, and didn't lord your position over Helena and the other troops that your mother would also acknowledge and reward your efforts?" Sabine inquired in a serene, yet ruthless tone of voice as she was completely relaxed despite what she said as Valentina's eyes bugged out of their sockets upon hearing the rant.

"I work just as hard as anyone else in the Noble Legi-"

"Oh really? Let's put that theory to the test, shall we?" Sabine cut the Warden off which made Valetina indignantly huff and ball her hands into fist as the Conqueror reached into a chest and pulled out a letter.

"Dear Sabine, yesterday Dame Isabelle ordered Valentina and I to help Roderick, Marco and Adrian guard the perimeter. Valentina, however, got a servant girl to fill in for her while she went off to practice her swordplay, archery, and horseback riding," the Conqueror began which made Valentina's face flush as she held up a hand and was about to speak until Sabine pulled out another letter.

"No one was attacking us at the-"

"Dear Sabine, when Roderick, Marco, Adrian, Valentina, and I were helping escort much needed supplies to the forces at Harrowgate, we were beset by viking marauders. Instead of taking defensive position around the caravan to protect the civilians, Valentina rushed out into the open and took on four of the marauders by herself. She fought and won spectacularly, but several of the civilians were injured which could have been prevented had she maintained her position," Sabine mercilessly continued as the Warden tried to get a word in only for the Conqueror to hold up a hand and pull out another letter from the chest.

"The caravan got to its destination regardless-"

"Dear Sabine, when Roderick, Marco, Adrian, Valentina, and I were overseeing the entry of refugees into our village, Valentina tried to turn away those who were of Warborn descent. She justified her actions by saying that their "evil blood" would only bring ruin upon us, but fortunately Roderick, Marco, and Adrian weren't having any of it. I do not know why Dame Isabelle continues to allow Valentina out into the field; yes, she is skilled in combat, supremely so, and she's great at making nice with the other nobles of the other legions, but those are her only good attributes," the Conqueror pressed on making the Warden growl embarrassingly as she opened her mouth only for Sabine to start reciting another letter making the Warden stamp her foot on the ground like an angry child.

"I will not suffer this mock-"

"Dear Sabine, today I overheard that Valentina made some unsavory remarks toward Gunnarr, Wallace, and Azusa and when I talked to them about it, they confirmed it. Incensed, I talked to her and politely tried to get her to rescind what she said and apologize to my friends. However, Valentina took it as me insulting her honor and challenged me to a duel to avenge the perceived slight to which I agreed to show that I stood by my words. Predictably, I was beaten down and had to spend the rest of the day in the barracks recuperating, but fortunately Valentina was put on latrine and stable cleaning duty for three weeks with Roderick supervising," Sabine coolly interrupted as she set the letter down and put it back in the chest as the Warden wanted more than anything to attack the Conqueror, but knew that she was in no condition to do anything.

"Dear Sabine, strangely I have nothing to report back to you and only wish to vent my thoughts to someone I trust. I will not say this to Dame Isabelle as I know that she loves her daughter despite her glaring flaws, but if Valentina wants to fight the Warborn so badly, she should just let her join the Blackstone Legion. Valentina's fighting skills would be put to better use and she wouldn't cause the Noble Legion anymore problems with her cantankerous, haughty, and racist behavior," the Conqueror finished as she put the letter back in the chest and stared at the Warden who was glowering at her with a look that could kill many times over.

"Alright, you made your point! I'm an arrogant, racist, blue blooded bitch, but I'm also, an arrogant, racist, blue blooded bitch who wants to rescue your little sister!" Valentina vehemently yelled at the Conqueror who scoffed and folded her arms while gazing at the Warden with a completely unimpressed look.

"Embracing and acknowledging one's flaws only makes the person viewed even more unfavorably in the eyes of others as they know why their fellows dislike them, but do nothing to change it," Sabine coolly retorted while never taking her eyes off of the Warden who growled lowly and marched right up to the Conqueror.

"I don't need a lecture on morality from a _Conqueror_ of all people-"

"I guess we should also add stereotyping to your list of flaws, but I digress. While it's certainly not what I was hoping for in regards to an attitude adjustment, I do see that you want to rescue Helena despite your dislike of her," Sabine pointed out which made the Warden snort and fold her arms as the Conqueror walked over to the corner of the tent and tossed Valentina her longsword who caught it without even looking.

"So, what now?" Valentina asked as she attached her weapon to her belt and faced the Conqueror who gestured for the Warden to follow her.

"Now, we talk to Lord Holden and see if he can grant us a leave of absence to look for Helena," Sabine answered as for the first time since Valentina met her, the Conqueror let out a nervous sigh as she continued to lead her around the camp.

"Is something wrong?" Valentina inquired as she noticed the odd, wary looks the Blackstone warriors were casting her way which made the Warden shut them out and not give them the time of day.

"Yes, Lord Holden sees me as just another warrior under his command so trying to request a leave of absence by myself would be folly. However, with you here-"

"I stand a better chance of convincing him due to my status and position," Valentina finished which made Sabine smirk ever so slightly and tap her nose twice as she motioned at the Holden Cross with her shield who was talking to his second.

"Okay, follow my lead," Valentina told Sabine who nodded as the Warden slowly approached Holden Cross and his second with the Conqueror in tow.


	4. Chapter 4 Ill Omen

Ch.4

Ill Omen

 _For Honor is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

 ** _Bold_** _**letters=language (Ex: Vikings speaking Old Norse, Knights speaking Latin)**_

Cringing, Helena's eyes slowly fluttered open and the first thing she felt was indescribable, excruciating pain in her shoulder as if someone lit a fire inside of it and was tearing the flesh from the limb. What's more, she felt as if someone was repeatedly taking a sledgehammer to her face and would have reached up to touch her eye which she could barely see out had she not been tied up. Scanning the area, Helena found she on the back of a horse which was a given, she had been stripped of her armor and was in nothing but her tunic, and they were headed to...Harrowgate? Widening her eye, Helena cringed when she saw the decapitated heads of knights and foot soldiers put on display on pikes out in front and to rub even more salt in the wound, some knights were crucified on the castle walls like Jesus of Nazareth. If that weren't enough, when they actually got inside, groups of dead foot soldiers and knights were being casually stacked on top of each other before being set ablaze while those who still resisted were either cut down without a second thought.

" **You know, sometimes I wonder why the samurai and the knights hate us...and then we do stuff like this,"** one of Helena's captors, a bulkier than normal Shaman wearing a cow skull as a helmet, remarked causing her other captor, a Valkyrie with embossings showing the wolves of the apocalypse from Viking lore on her shoulders, to grunt.

" **I know, but we don't have much high ground to stand on considering we still take...what did Angrboda call them? They're not slaves-"**

" **Indentured servants?"** the Shaman replied causing the Valkyrie to nod and say **"That's it, indentured servants!"** making Helena quietly snort as they suddenly came to a stop in front of a post and tied the reins of their horses to it.

" **What's an indentured servant anyway?"** the Valkyrie asked as she wrapped her arm around Helena's waist and hoisted the warrior on her shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes and followed her cohort toward their designated territory.

" **It's when someone signs a contract which states they shall serve someone for however long it asks for,"** Skadi answered as Helena felt as if her arm was hanging on by a thread and the Valkyrie unintentionally jostling her around made her feel as if the limb was going to tear at the seam wasn't helping.

" **Huh, that's weird, but I suppose it's better than what standard practice calls for when taking captives,"** Faye said with shrug making Skadi purse her lips as they entered their designated territory in Harrowgate signified by their war banner which showed a flaming sword cutting Valhalla in half.

" **Indeed, and one of us is going to have to take her provided you don't want to hand her over to Ragnar, Siv, or Stigandr,"** Skadi explained causing a Helena's eyes to widen and a chill to go down her spine which, while it went unnoticed by Faye, the Shaman caught wind of her reaction as the Valkyrie set the squire down on a improvised bed of hay bales.

" **I'll pass,"** Faye replied as she walked off to get Finn while Skadi hollered for a healer as while she could do it herself, having someone more experienced than her never hurt. Noting Helena's reaction from earlier, Skadi sat on the edge of Helena's improvised bed causing the foot soldier to warily stare at the bestial warrior who looked her dead in the eye.

" **Faye and I are going to fuck you starting from your hairy cunt all the way to your vacant, pretty mouth and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop us,"** Skadi told Helena in a bored, deadpan tone of voice while making sure to keep herself as still as possible so her body language wouldn't give the squire even the vaguest clue of what she said. As she suspected, what she said elicited a incredulous gasp from Helena who felt her breathe being caught in her throat causing the Shaman to chuckle under her breathe as she began cleaning Helena's bloody shoulder.

" **Oh, so you can understand us,"** Skadi stated causing Helena to say nothing as she did her best to avoid eye contact which made the Shaman smirk as another Shaman came up to her and looked a lot more like the stereotypical bloodthirsty, raving lunatic.

" **Alright, what am I working with?"** the other Shaman, who was as bulky as a Valkyrie and had a copious amount of skulls hanging from her belt with some still smeared with dried blood, inquired causing Skadi to glance at her mentor.

" **Stab wounds, bruises, and abrasions. You should probably focus on her shoulder wound first though,"** Skadi answered making the experienced Shaman grunt as she adjusted her bear pelt tunic which had several erratic, dried bloody hand prints on it as if someone was trying to throw her off making Helena inch away from her.

" **Of course you two turn a simple scouting mission into a pointless skirmish,"** the Shaman responded with a slight edge to her voice making Skadi roll her eyes as the other Shaman reached into her pouch and took out a bowl, some herbs, a pestle, flasks of alcohol, and a lot of bandages.

" **Make sure she doesn't try anything while I'm working,"** the other Shaman ordered while glaring at Helena who cringed when she saw that the viking was wearing powdered bone and ash on her face like it was face paint.

" **Of course,"** Skadi replied as she set a bear trap next to Helena's makeshift bed where, if the squire did try to make a run for it, the only place she would have to go is right into the clutches of the sharp, iron teeth.

" **So, where did you guys get this tin can?"** the other Shaman asked as she finished pounding the herbs into mulch and began tearing some of the bandages into strips while Helena, as much as she hated to admit it, thought Valentina was in the right now that she saw firsthand the state Harrowgate was in.

" **On the road heading towards Salavander's castle,"** Skadi answered making the more experienced Shaman snort as she dipped her fingers into the bowl and rubbed some of the mulch onto the bandages before pouring some of the alcohol onto them.

" **Okay, maybe I should be more specific. _Why_ did you get this tin can?" **the other Shaman inquired while narrowing her eyes at Skadi as she grabbed Helena's face and began applying the bandages to her cuts making the squire wince from the burning sensation.

" **That's actually something I want to know myself,"** a voice suddenly interjected causing the wizened Shaman to respectfully dip her head and Skadi to politely greet the newcomer before stepping back as the other Shaman then put a bandage over Helena's black eye making the squire hiss.

" **Well, Faye and I saw her and a Warden headed towards the villages Salavander lords over so we figured that they might have caught wind of our raid and were trying to warn them or were trying to learn information about us,"** Skadi told the newcomer, a Berserker who was wearing a wolf heads coated with leather on his shoulders, knees, and elbows as protective pads who took a closer look at the squire.

" **I see**... **did you two stop and think maybe she and her companion were just passing through?"** the Berserker calmly asked causing Skadi to deflate and Faye to rub the back of her head which made the experienced Shaman groan internally as she put a bandage on Helena's shoulder which made the squire tightly ground her teeth.

" **N-no, sorry Finn,"** Skadi sheepishly apologized with Faye doing so as well causing the Berserker to genially wave them off as he considered what to do with their new captive which they certainly weren't in short supply of.

" **It's fine, just be more mindful in the future. Did you two happen to see what insignia she was bearing?"** Finn asked the two of them causing the two warriors to shake their head causing the Berserker to grunt as the other Shaman grabbed the back of Helena's head and forced her to drink a brew of the crushed plants and beer. Gagging, the squire spat up some of the brew off to the side as she felt as if her throat was on fire making Skadi chuckle as Faye returned from her horse with a bag full of Helena's armor and weapons.

" **Well, well, to no one's surprise, the tin can can't hold her liquor,"** Skadi taunted making Helena glare at the Shaman out of the corner of her eye as Finn opened the bag and pulled out Helena's tunic where, upon seeing the insignia, widened his eyes and nearly dropped the garment.

" **...She's Noble Legion,"** Finn said in a voice barely above a whisper when he saw the bearing of a red, thorny rose making the experienced Shaman pinch the bridge of her nose and release a long winded groan while Skadi to tilted her head and Faye raised a brow.

" **Is that bad?"** Skadi reluctantly asked causing the wizened Shaman to give her a look that all but said **"You think?"** while Finn just nodded slowly as he put the tunic back in the bag and put a hand on his chin.

" **It's very bad; you and Faye just took one of the subordinates of the Bloody Rose of Ashfeld. You know, the Peacekeeper who nearly killed Gundmundr and Hafthor, the greatest Raider of our time,"** Finn informed his subordinates causing the color to drain from Skadi's face while Faye felt a cold chill go down her spine causing Helena, in spite of herself, to smirk at their reactions.

" **What's done is done; we may as well find out why she was going to where she was going like you two wanted,"** Finn stated with a shrug as he grabbed a nearby hay bale and placed it down near Helena's improvised bed who, in turn, just blankly stared at him while clutching her shoulder.

" **Careful, she might play the I'm going to pretend I don't understand you guys when in reality, I can speak you tongue fluently,"** Skadi warned her leader making Helena grit her teeth and couldn't help but briefly glower at the Shaman who noticed this and gave her a shit eating grin in response as Finn cleared his throat.

" **Why were you and your companion headed towards the villages that weasel lords over?"** Finn inquired causing Helena to look him dead in the eye while trying to formulate a response that they would deem acceptable while the other Shaman, Skadi, and Faye watched her every move like hawks.

" **Since the Noble Legion has been sending supplies to Harrowgate, our master decided to send us to trade goods with Salavander and the other leaders of the Blackstones since they will most likely try to retake it,"** Helena answered as while it wasn't true, it certainly was plausible making Finn grunt while Faye glared at the squire, took a step toward her, and lightly pressed the tip of her spear against Helena's mangled shoulder.

" **If you were trading, where was your wagon full of goods?"** Faye seethed causing Helena to jolt and keep her mouth shut to which Valkyrie barked **"Answer the question, damn it!"** and when Helena still didn't answer, gave a stiff, but restrained jab of her spear to the squire's wound. Helena screamed and fell back onto her makeshift bed while tightly clutching her shoulder as before Faye could do anymore damage, Finn held up his hand which made the Valkyrie pause.

" **Enough, if you beat her now, all we'll get is lies. Since you and Skadi brought her here, she's your responsibility which means getting into contact with the Noble Legion and trading her back to them as soon as possible,"** Finn ordered the two of them making Faye pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh heavily before grabbing Helena by the collar of her tunic and picking her up out of bed so she wouldn't step on the bear trap.

" **Look, I know we're trying to do things differently from the norm, but why would we barter with the knights, especially one so dangerous?"** Faye asked with a razor sharp edge to her voice causing Finn to narrow his eyes at the Valkyrie who didn't back down and stared back at him with a stone faced gaze.

" **Because getting on Isabelle's bad side is not worth the Hel she's going to bring down on us to get her subordinate back. Now, as I've said before, you two get into contact with the Noble Legion and trade this tin can back to her as soon as possible,"** Finn commanded causing Faye to spare a glance at Helena and wondered if the Peacekeeper was going to truly bring ruin upon them, but decided she'd rather not take that chance.

" **...Okay,"** Faye acquiesced as she set the squire on the ground and tightly grabbed her arm that was attached to her wounded shoulder as Finn walked away to attend to other matters leaving Faye, Skadi, and the other Shaman alone with each other.

" **So, where are we going to put her?"** Skadi asked causing Faye to snort as she began roughly dragging Helena by the arm making the squire yelp as she felt as if the Valkyrie was going to tear her arm out of her socket.

" **Until we trade her back to the Noble Legion, she's my indentured servant so she'll be staying in my room,"** Faye responded causing the squire to grumble under her breathe while Skadi narrowed her eyes at the Valkyrie and huffed.

" **Why does she get to be your indentured servant? I'm the one you suggested we capture her and her friend!"** Skadi exclaimed causing Faye to grunt as Helena very much considered breaking free of the Valkyrie's grip while she was distracted, but then thought against it. She knew she wasn't going to get very far with her wounds and even if she did manage to outrun them, there were still a whole lot of vikings between her and freedom. What's more, there was still the matter of getting a horse and should she be captured again, she might be at the mercy of the more unsavory clans like the Crow, Bearclaw, and the Warborn. Internally sighing, Helena begrudgingly stayed put and heard Faye say **"Yeah, you did, but I was the one who actually captured her!"** with a smug smirk which was hidden underneath her helmet. Before the argument could escalate, the other Shaman got in between Faye and Skadi, glowered at the two of them which they took as a signal to back away from the squire, and did nothing when she clasped Helena's uninjured shoulder with soft, yet firm grip.

" **You two go back to where you found her and retrace her steps. I will watch our guest,"** the wizened Shaman stated causing Faye to snort and say **"She's all yours."** with a shrug as she and Skadi mounted their horses.

"So, are you going to tell me the real reason why you were headed towards Salavander's castle?" the other Shaman inquired in fluent Latin causing Helena to widen her eyes as she saw an ever so slight smirk tug at the viking's lips.

"You can speak-"

"I can, though it's not a skill I willingly picked up," the other Shaman interrupted as she lead the squire toward her tent where, upon entering it, a pack of ten giant wolves rushed toward her snarling all the while with saliva foaming at their mouths making Helena gasp and instinctively backpedal.

" **Back!"** the other Shaman ordered causing the wolves to dip their heads while still barring their fangs at the squire who was set down on a bear fur pelt and looked up at the viking while grasping her shoulder. Snorting, the other Shaman walked toward her own pelt where her wolves surrounded her en masse making Helena's breathe hitch and inch away from them until her back was touching the cloth of the tent.

"Make yourself comfortable because this is where you're going to be staying for the duration of your time here," the other Shaman commented while throwing a wool blanket at the squire who grunted as two wolves laid down at her feet, two laid down near the entrance, two laid down near the Shaman, and the last two laid down near the ones watching Helena to reinforce their cohorts.

"Do you and that Berserker, Valkyrie, and Shaman belong to the Heretics?" Helena asked just as her stomach grumbled loudly causing the Shaman, who was dipping a large stone into a cauldron filled with melted bronze, to chuckle lowly.

"How about this? You tell me the truth about why you and your friend were going to where you were going and I'll answer your question," the other Shaman offered causing the squire's stomach to let out another loud grumble causing Helena to weigh her options and thought that if indeed these were the Heretics like she thought, then coming clean wouldn't hurt.

"My master, Dame Isabelle, sent us to Salvander's castle to gather information on the viking clan called the Heretics as she wished to open dialogue with whomever their Jarl is," Helena answered which caught the other Shaman's attention as she set the large stone now coated with a thin layer of bronze down onto a table and eyed the squire warily.

"Why would she come to us for help? Doesn't she have allies in Ashfeld to go to?" the wizened Shaman inquired as she grabbed a bowl and walked over to another cauldron where she fished out some stewed meat with a large spoon and dipped it into the bowl where she handed it and a hunk of bread to Helena.

"The allies she had either bent the knee to Apollyon and the Blackstones, been wiped out by Apollyon and the Blackstones, or are too weak to make any substantial difference in our predicament," Helena replied causing the other Shaman to nod slowly as she grabbed a cow femur, placed the bronze coated stone on it, and tightly looped a rope around it to forge a club.

"...I see," the other Shaman said in a voice barely above a whisper as she kept a close on the squire throughout their entire interaction to see if she could find any signs of deceit in her voice or body language, but could find none. Still, for all she knew, Helena could have just been that good of a liar so better to be safe than sorry.

"Do you have anyway of giving truth to your claim?" the other Shaman asked causing Helena to deflate and hesitantly say "Only my word." to which the viking snorted, folded her arms, and leaned back in her chair.

"I don't know you from a corpse on the ground so your word is worthless," the animalistic combatant pointed out to which all Helena could do was reluctantly nod in agreement as she ended the conversation by laying back on the bear pelt, throwing the wool blanket over her, and closing her eyes while trying to ignore the wolves' growling.

"Isabelle, the Warlord of the Noble Legion, huh? I've heard of her of the things she did in the past, but now I hear she's nothing but a barely functional drunk," the other Shaman remarked while sharpening her seax causing Helena to snarl lowly as she would have turned over on her side if not for her injuries.

"Well, let's hope not that's not the case for her sake considering she's probably fending off a raid as we speak," the bestial warrior admitted while continuing to sharpen her seax causing Helena to sit up and glower at the Shaman who didn't look up from her work though she noted she had the squire's attention now.

"Our clan wasn't a part of the raid if that's what you're thinking. We would have denied participating it anyway; we try to raid only the petty nobles like Daubeny who tend to have an excess of supplies," the Shaman assured Helena though this did nothing to dissuade the squire's concern for her friends back home and wondered if they had been overwhelmed by the vikings and she wasn't there to help.

"You have nothing to worry about; the runner sent back from the raid told us that they were pushed back and that Isabelle, a Warlord, a Celt, a Japanese woman, and a Gladiator survived the raid," the Shaman further informed Helena making the squire internally sigh in relief along with glaring at the heretic briefly before laying back on the bear pelt causing the bestial fighter to grunt. She was starting to believe that maybe Helena was telling the truth after all, but until she was absolutely sure, she would continue to poke and prod until she got a full, accurate picture of what Helena was like.

* * *

"Hagane, Setsuka, come with me," Homura ordered after seeing that the Emperor and the royal family had yet to arrive making the two stare at each other before reluctantly complying as the Nobushi looked at Ranja for permission. Nodding, the Kensei dismissed them causing Homura to gesture for the duo to follow her which they did and saw that they were being to their houses' armory which made Hagane and Setsuka raise their brows.

"Why are we here? We already have weapons," Hagane pointed out while holding up her spear and wooden shield to which the Nobushi snorted, walked up to her daughter, and appropriated her spear, shield, kodachi, and tanto

"H-hey, I-I bought those with my own money!" Hagane indignantly protested, but it fell on deaf ears as Homura placed her daughter's weapons in a chest, grabbed a pair of manicas and gladius which she ripped from the cold, dead hands of a Centurion she slew, and tossed the weapons at her daughter's feet.

"When you've proven your mettle or if there is an emergency, you can have them back. Until such a time occurs, that along with whatever weapons I see to fit to give you is what you will use," Homura coldly retorted as she rudely tore off Hagane's somen which revealed her daughter's slightly teary eyes and threw it into the chest before smacking Hagane across the face with a hammerfist. Crying out, Hagane crumpled to the ground and gave her mother a look that could kill many times over, but Homura wasn't fazed.

"Yes, I took your weapons. How long are you going to keep crying about it?" Homura growled causing Hagane to grasp her bruised cheek and sniffle before grabbing the objects and climbing to her feet.

"Now, as for you," Homura began which made Setsuka cringe as the Nobushi walked up to her, relieved her of her recently acquired suburito, and chucked a beaten hwando along with its sheathe at her feet.

"I remember learning about these blades when we studied our ancestor's invasion of the Unyielding, but I never thought I would see one in person, let alone wield it. How did you come across such a weapon, Homura-sama?" Setsuka curiously inquired as she picked up the sword, placed it back in its sheathe, and tied it to her belt as best as she could which was something Hagane was interested as well.

"Some of the descendants of the Unyielding and the other conquered people who have no choice but to live in the Myre still cling to their foolish traditions. I encountered one such person in our village, killed him when he wouldn't convert to Ranja's version of Shinto, and relieved him of the weapon you are now holding," the Nobushi answered while scanning the armor sets on the wall making the disgraced warrior grumble, but she couldn't exactly be disgusted as she had done similar, atrocious acts in the past. Hagane, however, looked at the weapon in horror causing the disgraced warrior to silently mouth "Better to put this weapon to good use then to let it waste away." Scoffing, Hagane quietly retorted with "Even if it's for unjust slaughter?" which Setsuka didn't attempt to argue with.

"Here, you two will wear these," Homura stated in a tone that left no room for argument which shook the duo out of their stupor as she tossed full sets of heavy, wooden armor covered with leather at them causing Setsuka to incredulously stare at her mother while Hagane was nearing her breaking point.

"W-wooden armor? Homura-sama, we can't fight in these-"

"Yes, you will. You want to know why? Because the Myre is very poor in iron so metal armor is reserved for the greatest warriors of each house and you two most certainly aren't," Homura barked causing Setsuka to scoff as she began putting on the armor while Hagane locked eyes with her mother and balled her hands into fists. Raising a brow, Homura beckoned for Hagane to come at her which the teenager nearly did only for Setsuka to put a hand on her shoulder and shake her head causing Hagane to snarl and begrudgingly put on the armor as well.

"Homura-sama, what is the logic of making Hagane-san wield weapons she doesn't know how to use?" Setsuka suddenly asked in a tone that was far more accusatory and forceful than she intended, but fortunately the Nobushi let it slide.

"Because if she only learns how to fight against samurai, she'll be worthless against knights and vikings. By learning to use their weapons, she'll get some idea of what to expect when fighting them," Homura answered which made the disgraced warrior grumble under her breathe as the Nobushi motioned for the duo to follow her. Sparing a glance at Hagane who was still sniffling, Setsuka genially patted her shoulder and gently said "Come on, no more tears now, okay?" to which Hagane nodded and wiped her tears with her forearm. Walking back to her designated area with Setsuka in tow, Hagane knelt down on her pillow where Homura tossed a medical kit at her feet making the young girl grunt as she began patching her face up while doing her best to ignore the stares some of the combatants from the other houses were giving her.

"When you're done, pick a technique and practice it," Homura ordered while handing her daughter the book she brought which listed the various techniques she could use with her weapons making Hagane set it aside for the time being.

"I'll help her-"

"No, you stay where you are," Homura interrupted causing Setsuka to ground her teeth and curtly nod as she mouthed a silent "Train well." to her cohort who gratefully nodded as she finished patching herself up and went behind the curtain with her unfamiliar weapons and book in hand.

"You're making your little one use Legion weaponry?" Ranja inquired with a curious brow raised which made Homura nod as she ordered one of the foot soldiers to bring Setsuka a meal to get her strength back up.

"Yes, she needs to be ready to face the myriad of opponents you, I, Setsuka, and Yuuto face on the battlefield and learning how to use their weapons will give her some idea of what to expect," Homura explained to which the mad daimyo pursed her lips and nodded as an ashigaru brought Setsuka a bowl of raw fish, rice, and kelp which made the disgraced warrior's mouth water. Bowing gratefully to the ashigaru who returned the gesture, Setsuka grabbed the bowl and devoured the meal with such gusto that one would believe it was her last meal on Earth. While Ranja recoiled at Setsuka pigging out, she didn't do much other than just ignore it as finally, the emperor and the royal family arrived causing the deranged priestess to beckon her warriors to stand and bow.

"Really, I don't know why we have to bother with this. The only claim he has to the throne is lineage, and even that tie is spotty at best and outright fabrication at worse," Homura murmured which made Setsuka widen her eyes as if the emperor heard her, execution would be a mercy, but Ranja just subtly nodded and whispered "We only need to put up with it until I get on the throne." Nodding back, Homura kept her head dipped as the emperor sat on his throne, inspected the gathered warriors with great interest, and waited until there was a hush in the room before addressing them all.

"Warriors, I welcome you all to the next annual martial arts festival! The last one was certainly a sight to behold so I hope this one is not only just as great, but surpasses it altogether! Before we start the festivities, there is a matter I need to address," the emperor stated causing all of the warriors from the various houses to shift their gazes to Ayu who grumbled as her ruler locked eyes with her and narrowed his eyes.

"Ayu, I trust there will be no more trouble from your house this year, correct? I would hate to have to imprison another one of your warriors," the emperor remarked making the kensei resist the great, overwhelming urge to clench her fists and tried to stay calm.

"You would be correct, Emperor. I will make sure my warriors stay in line," Ayu replied through gritted teeth before respectfully bowing her head causing the emperor to haughtily scoff and say "See to it that you do or Momiji is next." Understandably, Momiji recoiled and indignantly huffed as the emperor gestured for the combatants to sit back down with a grandiose sweep of his arm to which Homura rolled her eyes from underneath her mask.

"As per tradition, we will start the festival by honoring those who protected our ancestors when they first came to this land. Daimyo, send your greatest Shugokis to the arena!" the emperor proclaimed causing Yuuto and Okuma to lock eyes with one another and walk down toward the battlefield while never taking their eyes off of each other.

"Yuuto, the emperor clearly said send our _greatest_ Shugokis," Homura taunted making the sumo wrestler scoff to which Setsuka wanted to say "Do you have always have to mock your allies?", but considering it was Yuuto, she kept her mouth shut.

"Now, as is customary, the Imperial House will be able to choose their opponents first," the emperor declared causing Teramori, protector of the Tower Monastery, to carefully scan the gathered Shugokis as he wanted to steer clear of Yuuto and Okuma. Still, he couldn't risk dishonoring his house and most importantly, his emperor by choosing a weak opponent so after a few more seconds of sizing up the competition, he settled on a combatant from Seijuro's house.

"I challenge you, warrior!" Teramori exclaimed as he waltzed into the ring, locked eyes with Seijuro's Shugoki, and simultaneously stomped on the ground while slamming the tip of his kanabo onto the floor which kicked up a copious amount of dust.

"I accept your challenge," Seijuro's Shugoki replied as he walked into the ring and performed the customary stomps as the emperor stated "There is to be no attempt at killing your opponent, simply making them fall down or forcing them out of the ring will suffice." Nodding, the two heavyweights locked eyes and readied their weapons as the signal was given to begin causing Teramori to come out in full force and swing his club overhead at his foe who sidestepped and and hit him with the pommel of his weapon. While Teramori was reeling, Seijuro's Shugoki lifted his leg up and like a Highlander, planted his foot against his foe's chest sending him staggering back where he connected with a stiff blow to the shoulder while Teramori was backpedaling.

"It's one thing to prepare for our various enemies, but using their techniques is just bastardizing our ways," Ayu growled to which Momiji sighed as Seijuro's Shugoki swung his weapon at his opponent's ribs which Teramori, after regaining his bearings, let the blow hit him before answering with a vicious headbutt followed by a sharp thrust to the gut. Wheezing as he was forced back and nearly felled, Seijuro's Shugoki then ate a stiff backhand to his face making him see stars, but had enough presence of mind to weave around a strong swing coming at his side meant to force him out of the ring. While Teramori was in the middle of recovering from his strike, Seijuro's Shugoki charged at him as if he was trying to ram his shoulder into his sternum only to bash his pommel against Teramori's chest.

Hissing as he felt as if his a heavy boulder landed on his chest, Teramori forced down the pain, but not quick enough as the follow up uppercut strike to his chest made him grimace and almost topple to the ground. Ignoring whatever pain he might have been in, Teramori stopped an overhead blow to his skull dead in its tracks and shoved his foe back by stepping forward while putting all of his weight behind it. Gasping, Seijuro's Shugoki struggled to regain his balance only for a powerful, downward swing of Teramori's club to his shoulder sent him staggering to the ground with a harsh thud where his tetsubo slipped from his grasp.

"As expected, Teramori is the victor," the emperor said with a grin tugging at the corner of his lips as Teramori helped his opponent up, bowed to him which was a gesture his foe returned, and walked back to his area with Seijuro's Shugoki heading back into the stands.

"Seijuro-sama, I'm sorry I lost even with the techniques we incorporated into my style," his warrior stated while respectfully bowing to him causing the power-hungry Orochi to wave off his concerns.

"It's alright, you did well against a more skilled and experienced opponent and such effort is to be rewarded," Seijuro told his warrior who raised a brow as the power-hungry Orochi called out to the prostitutes in Kizan's box and gestured at his Shugoki while one of his ashigaru showcased a chest full of gold pieces. Widening their eyes, most of the pleasure women left Kizan's area for Seijuro's greener pastures and began fawning over Seijuro's Shugoki who was noticeably blushing. Ignoring the glare Kizan shot his way, the power-hungry Orochi focused on the next match between a Shugoki from Tozen's army and Yuuto.

"I didn't know you were in the practice of rewarding failure, brother!" Dokuja taunted with a boisterous chuckle causing the combatants of his clan to force themselves to laugh along with him, but all Seijuro did was shrug.

"I reward _competence,_ brother, something you should do more often if you want your warriors to be truly loyal to you. Speaking of which, would any of you be interested in joining me? I promise that your servitude to Seijuro-sama will be far more fruitful and most importantly, safer," Seijuro assured his brother's combatants and while some were definitely tempted, all it took was Dokuja gesturing at their family members surrounded by his inner circle to make them fall back in line.

"You just proved my point, Dokuja," Seijuro stated to which the cowardly Kensei could offer no response as Tozen's Shugoki harshly hit the ground while clutching his bloodied head causing Yuuto to let out a mocking laugh as he walked back to Ranja's area without bowing to his opponent who was slow to get up.

"What a brute," Momiji disdainfully growled as she sighed in relief when she saw Yuuto's opponent walk back to Tozen's area with minor help from the great general's ashigaru to which Ayu nodded in agreement.

"Indeed; I hate to say it, but if I had to choose between Seijuro and Ranja as emperor, I would choose Seijuro in a heartbeat," Ayu replied as if each word was sulfuric acid as she and Momiji saw that Okuma was challenged by a warrior from Fujikiyo's army just like they wanted and to Ayu's relief, saw that Okuma whispered something into his opponent's ear.

"Good, hopefully that warrior warns Fujikiyo about Ranja; I know she's planning something right now, but I don't know what," Ayu murmured as Fujikiyo's Shugoki gave Okuma a look before nodding resolutely as they clasped each other's forearms before stepping into the ring.

"I think Ranja is a bit too...unhinged to come up with intrinsic plans. However, I bet Homura has something up her sleeve and I think that little girl she brought knows what she's up to," Momiji whispered as she began to sit up to try and sneak out in order to get into Ranja's box without being seen, but Ayu put a hand on her shoulder which made the Nobushi sit back down.

"Momiji, no; you're not as stealthy as Kiryu," Ayu calmly, but firmly told Momiji who huffed, but nodded nonetheless as she remained where she was and saw Homura glaring daggers at the both of them. Glaring back at her, Ayu and Momiji shifted their attention to the match as Okuma forced his foe out of the ring by thrusting the tip of his kanabo into his foe's chest and carried him backwards where he fell flat on his ass. Giving an amused laugh, Fujikiyo's Shugoki grasped the offered hand Okuma gave him and bowed to him which Okuma returned as he returned to the defender of the sea fortresses' area.

"But we need to know what she's up to!" Momiji silently protested as they both saw Dokuja's Shugoki foolishly challenge the Shugoki from Kizan's house who was raring to go and did the customary stomp as did his opponent.

"I know, but if you get discovered, it will not only mean severe punishment for me, but severe punishment for _you_ as well,"Ayu quietly pointed out to which the Nobushi had nothing to counter with as she reluctantly nodded and focused on the match where Kizan's Shugoki sidestepped the wild, uncontrollable swing at his chest allowing his opponent's forward momentum to send him tumbling to the ground.

"What are you doing!? You're not supposed to lose and make a fool out of me! I swear you'd better show improvement or your sister is going to get it!" Dokuja roared causing his warrior to get onto all fours and grovel for mercy to which Yuuto laughed in amusement while Okuma sadly sighed and shook his head.

"Thanks for proving my point further, brother," Seijuro mockingly praised his sibling causing the cowardly Kensei to growl under his breathe, but a glare from the emperor made him settle down as Teramori and Okuma squared off.

"Hagane, come out here and watch this match! You'll find it most instructive," Homura commanded causing an annoyed sigh to come from behind the curtain as Hagane walked out and knelt down on her pillow.

"Why this match specifically?" Hagane inquired to which her mother snorted and folded her arms causing the teenager to resist the urge to roll her eyes and just studied the two giants intently like Homura wanted.

"Hmm...you avoided choosing Yuuto or I as your first opponents again, Teramori. I don't want to assume cowardice on your part, but you have to admit it's suspect," Okuma pointed out while readying his weapon causing the guardian of the Tower Monastery to growl under his breathe and tightly grip his tetsubo.

"An insult indeed; I hope you're ready for the consequences," Teramori postured in an attempt to act tough, but Hagane, Homura, Setsuka, and Okuma saw his hands tremble for the briefest of moments.

"I am, now let's go," Okuma retorted as Teramori advanced on him and threw out a quick swing to the stalwart Shugoki's left which connected and then followed it up with a stiff headbutt which forced Okuma back and made him see stars. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, Okuma avoided the swipe at his belly and the downward swing at his shoulder before grasping the head of his kanabo in one hand and thrusting it into his opponent's sternum. Dry heaving, Teramori staggered back as he felt as if an entire ship landed on top of him and then ducked underneath the strike at his head before wrapping his arms around Okuma's waist. Wincing when he felt as if an elephant was crushing him, Okuma resisted being lifted up, freed both of his arms, and clapped both of his foe's ears where he used the pommel of his club to hit one of them.

Screaming in pain and nearly falling over from the loss of equilibrium, Teramori struggled to stay upright as he saw Okuma advancing on him through his blurry vision causing him to repeatedly thrust the tip of his bludgeon to keep his foe at bay until he regained his bearings. Remaining calm, Okuma batted and bashed the weapon away from him all while slowly getting closer to his opponent before sidestepping a overextended stab from Teramori and trapped his arm and subsequently, his weapon underneath his armpit. Before the guardian of the Tower Monastery could even try to writhe in his foe's grip, Okuma slugged him in the armpit making Teramori howl in pain as his limb immediately lost all feeling in it and forced him to drop his weapon. Seeing that his foe was off balance, Okuma easily managed to toss him to the ground with a simple hip toss making Yuuto snort as his expression all but said "Did anyone honestly think the result would be otherwise?" In spite of the slight hostility Teramori showed him, Okuma still bowed to him which Teramori returned though one could see he only did it to keep up appearances as he grabbed his kanabo and stomped back to the stands of the Imperial House.

"What did you learn, Hagane?" Homura asked causing the teenage to warrior to rub her chin and meticulously go over every move that Teramori and Okuma threw down to the last detail in her head.

"Teramori seemed intimidated by Yuuto and Okuma which is why he wanted to save them for the final rounds in order to stand a better chance of beating them?" Hagane responded to which the Nobushi shook her head making Setsuka, Hagane, and even Ranja raise a brow as Homura sat up in her chair.

"That's true, but it's not what I wanted you to take away from their match. This lesson goes beyond the mistakes either warrior performed in the heat of the moment," Homura said to which the teenager mulled over the nuances of each warrior like which house they belonged to, who was their daimyo, and where their house located. Suddenly, after a moment of piecing together the information, Hagane's eyes lit up in realization and glanced at her mother over her shoulder who motioned with her hand for her daughter to speak.

"I think it's because the Chosen are the more seasoned fighters since their house was disgraced and sentenced to live in the outskirts. From there, they would have to fend off incursions from the various legions in Ashfeld and the occasional vikings that slipped by Fujikiyo's fortress," Hagane answered to which Homura nodded curtly while Setsuka shot the teenager a subtle, but proud grin which made Hagane's heart flutter.

"As pathetic as Ayu and her house is, I will grant them that rolling around in their own filth and disgrace arguably produced some of the most formidable combatants out of all the houses," Homura grudgingly admitted which was something Hagane had to take her word for as the Nobushi gestured for her to get back behind the curtain. Grunting, Hagane did so while politely, but reluctantly bowing to Ranja though she didn't give the gesture to Homura which the Nobushi ignored as Yuuto and Kizan's Shugoki wrapped up formalities.

"I have a much anticipated rematch with Okuma so how about you get out of the ring and save me the trouble?" Yuuto remarked to which his foe snorted and beckoned the sadistic Shugoki to come at him by thumping his chest twice with his fist causing the brute of Ranja's house to happily oblige him with a feinted swing with seemingly all of his weight behind it. When his opponent changed his guard, Yuuto retracted the blow and threw out a palm heel strike which landed and made his foe's head snap back. Laughing, the sadistic Shugoki followed it up by tightly wrapping his arms around his opponent's waist wand proceeded to rain down headbutt after headbutt on his seemingly helpless foe making Homura and Ranja roll their eyes while Hagane and Setsuka watched with one sided spectacle with wide eyes.

"What's wrong? What happened to all that bravado from earlier?" Yuuto mocked as he smashed his forehead against his foe's skull yet again which opened a nasty gash which began to leak a copious amount of blood, but Kizan's Shugoki didn't seem fazed. When Yuuto brought his head back for another blow, Kizan's Shugoki dipped his head to the side to avoid the strike and thrust the pommel of his club into Yuuto's kidney making the brute of Ranja's house to hack and backpedal.

"Oh, now you're going to get it," Yuuto snarled in a voice barely above a whisper as he forced down the pain and put all of his weight behind a blow meant to end the fight which Kizan's Shugoki parried, but was the one being forced off balance as Yuuto used this opportunity to shove him back by completely overpowering his block.

"Ugh, no finesse. He's just a wild animal," Ayu spat to which Momiji agreed as Yuuto's overhead strike nearly made his foe fall over and another one almost made him topple to the side, but his adversary endured. When Yuuto came at his foe with strike to his ribs, his foe avoided the blow which meant the sadistic Shugoki hit nothing but empty air, but to Ayu and Momiji's surprise, he spun with the momentum so he wouldn't be knocked off balance, leaned away from the strike to his ribs, pinned his foe's arms underneath his armpits, and hoisted him onto his shoulder.

"How's this for no finesse, Ayu!?" Yuuto roared as he cracked his opponent's back making release a strangled gasp as the sadistic Shugoki unceremoniously tossed him onto the ground making Kizan widen his eyes.

"My boy! Don't just stand there! Get in the ring and help him!" Kizan barked at his foot soldiers causing some of them to rush into the ring and kneel down next to the wounded Shugoki who was able to stand on his own power though he did need to be helped in walking back to the stands.

"You didn't need to do that," Okuma admonished as while he certainly wasn't fond of Kizan or any the warriors belonging to his inner circle, needless brutality didn't sit right with him.

"Oh, grow a spine, Okuma. It's not like he was a paragon of virtue," Yuuto retorted as he beckoned his foe to get into the ring causing Okuma to snort as he stepped into the ring and did the traditional bow which just made Yuuto mockingly laugh.

"Spare me the formalities and just fight!" the sadistic Shugoki spat as he charged at Okuma with his weapon up to bear while forgoing doing the customary stomp before the match, but his foe anticipated such a move and sidestepped Yuuto's violent, overhead swing.

"That idiot!" Ranja snarled while tightening her grip on the hilt of her nodachi causing Setsuka to raise a brow and focus intently on Okuma who immediately retaliated with a hard, vicious swing to Yuuto's spine. Screaming in pain, Yuuto flopped forward, but righted himself before he could fall over and widened his eyes when he saw his foe's kanabo coming down toward his skull. Holding his weapon up to block, Yuuto braced himself...only for Okuma to simultaneously retract his blow at the last second and stomp on Yuuto's foot making the sadistic Shugoki grimace. A tidal wave of pain then exploded in Yuuto's skull as Okuma harshly bashed him across the face with the hilt of his kanabo and then fiercely backhanded him with the pommel making Yuuto feel as if a bull just stepped on his face. Crying out as Okuma planted the hilt of his kanabo against his face which made his head violently snap back, Yuuto hit the ground with a loud, hard thud where he struggled to regain his bearings.

"If that damn fool didn't get overzealous, he might have won!" Homura growled to which Ranja and grudgingly, Setsuka nodded in agreement as Yuuto picked himself up, grabbed his weapon, and rounded on Okuma despite the Emperor declaring the stalwart Shugoki the winner.

"Yuuto, cease! You will not disgrace our house so carry yourself with some dignity!" Ranja commanded causing the sadistic Shugoki to stop in his tracks and glower at his daimyo who stood up from her throne and returned the glare in kind.

"Don't give me that look; Okuma has proven to be your better yet again so acknowledge the superior warrior!" Ranja ordered causing Yuuto to indignantly huff and tighten his grip on his kanabo before turning to face his opponent where he looked at him with a gaze that could kill many times over, but the stalwart Shugoki wasn't fazed.

"Next time your mine," Yuuto murmured as he gave Okuma a formal, but ever so brief bow before stomping back to Ranja's area making the stalwart Shugoki shake his head as he bowed to the emperor and the royal family.

"You had it, and then you let it slip between your fingers!" Homura growled while tightening her grip on the shaft of her naginata making Yuuto glare daggers at the Nobushi who returned his gaze with a glower of her own.

"I need no reminder," Yuuto retorted causing Ranja to hold up a hand which made Homura scoff before turning her gaze away from the Shugoki who snorted and folded his arms as the emperor sized up Okuma.

"Okuma, was it? Your performance in each annual festival has been most impressive. How would you like a position in the Imperial House as the general of Kazan Castle?" the Emperor enticed causing Ayu to glare at the Emperor out of the corner of her eye while Momiji was internally fuming as well.

"Think about it, with a mighty army at your beck and call and your exceptional combat prowess, you may very well go down in history as one of our greatest warriors. Just imagine the generations of children studying you long after we've left the mortal coil," the emperor tempted making Ayu, for an ever so brief moment, growl before it disappeared behind an infuriated, stern gaze.

" _Okuma, we need you...I need you,"_ Ayu thought to herself as she wondered what she would do without one of her childhood friends as Okuma sighed softly, lifted his head, and locked eyes with the Emperor.

"I'm sorry, Emperor. I'm deeply flattered by the offer, but my place is with the Chosen," Okuma resolutely affirmed without any hesitation causing Ayu to internally sigh in relief as the emperor turned his nose at the stalwart Shugoki.

"Then continue to roll around in the mud with the rest of your pathetic house," the emperor snidely retorted causing his wife to shoot him a disapproving glance which he ignored as Okuma bowed to him before returning to the stands.

"Now that beginning matches are concluded, I now invite the daimyo to send not only any warriors they see fit to the arena, but themselves as well if they think themselves capable!" the emperor proclaimed causing Ranja to glance at Homura, Setsuka, and Hagane and motioned for them to follow her to the mock battlefield.

"Ready?" Setsuka whispered to Hagane who could only uncertainly shrug to which the disgraced warrior nodded understandingly as they followed their superiors to the arena only for Homura to suddenly stop them.

"Ranja is going to challenge Fujikiyo and I am going to challenge Momiji. You two, however, have a special opponent in mind," Homura informed the duo as she roughly grabbed Hagane by her shirt collar, pulled her toward her, and whispered who she was supposed to challenge in her ear. Tilting her head upon receiving the info, Hagane nodded slowly as the Nobushi did the same for Setsuka making the disgraced warrior widen her eyes, but nod nonetheless despite wanting to tear Homura's head off.

"Good, now come along," Homura commanded which made the inexperienced combatant and the disgraced warrior to do so where they both saw that a multitude of eyes were on them due to their unwilling choice of weaponry.

"Is...is that Setsuka? She looks so pale and malnourished."

"The little girl looks like she got mauled by a bear too; what was Ranja doing to them?"

"She's even using a gladius? Now they're just bastardizing our martial ways."

"Setsuka's using a sword from the Unyielding too; why would she do that?"

Sighing softly, both Hagane and Setsuka did their best to tune out the whispering as they locked eyes with Ayu and Momiji with the latter recoiling upon seeing the beaten, disheveled state the duo were in now that she was up close. Ayu, on the other hand, raised a brow at their unwilling choice in weaponry as did Fujikiyo and Tozen, but didn't think much of it as they along with the other daimyo save Dokuja stood proudly in the arena with their warriors. Taking stock of the gathered warriors, a small part of Homura was disappointed that the emperor had his champion, Kiryu, imprisoned. After all, she wanted the honor of beating him into the ground herself just as she nearly had done several times before. Still, claiming victory for her house by beating down her chosen victim would satisfy her blood lust for the time being.

"Ranja, since your house is next in line to inherit the throne, you will have the honor of selecting whom you want to fight first," the Emperor declared to which the mad priestess politely bowed to him and then glanced at Homura who nodded.

"Thank you for the offer, Emperor. However, would it be possible to let my warriors choose their opponents first?" the deranged daimyo asked to which the ruler of the Myre tilted his head and gave Ranja an odd look.

" _Is she trying to make her Nobushi go first so she can take out the competition while she remains well rested? Yes, that must be it; she's nearly bested my champion on several occasions in spite of her advanced age,"_ the Emperor thought as he glanced at Homura and like always, got a bad, murderous vibe from her and then glanced at Setsuka where, despite her impediments, she was raring to go.

"Very well, daughter, I will allow this strange request," the ruler of the Myre proclaimed as he thought Ranja would most likely default to Homura or, failing that, Setsuka, but when she chose Hagane, the teenager was just as surprised as him and everyone else in the room.

"You know what to do," Homura whispered while discreetly shoving her daughter forward causing the teenager to grumble and stand up straight before locking eyes with Dokuja.

"I challenge you, Dokuja-sama!" Hagane yelled causing everyone in the room, especially the paranoid Kensei's warriors, to widen their eyes and glance at Dokuja who recoiled.

"Ooh, if he accepts, it's going to look like he's only confident when fighting someone weaker than him. Not exactly a good look," Momiji quietly remarked to Ayu who gave a barely noticeable nod in response as she looked at her cowardly brother out of the corner of his eye who seemed to be at war with himself at what to do.

"Indeed, and if he refuses, then he's going to look like even more of a coward for declining a battle against an opponent he should be able to triumph against. Still, I can't see what Ranja hopes to accomplish beyond humiliating Dokuja," Ayu silently replied to which the Nobushi discreetly nodded in agreement as she and her daimyo knew there was an ulterior motive to this, they just didn't know what.

"I-I refuse...o-on the grounds that I don't want to hurt her, of course!" Dokuja stuttered which made the emperor and several handfuls of people in attendance to snort which made Homura smirk cruelly underneath her helmet as the pieces were now falling into place.

"Ugh...I must say I'm disappointed, my son. Perhaps I put you in a leadership role too soon," the emperor bluntly told his son who balked and looked down at the ground as Setsuka, with a heavy sigh, stepped forward.

"Emperor, perhaps I can offer a solution? Even though I've lost standing, I'm still a seasoned warrior who's used to making snap decisions out in the field so perhaps I should be given leadership of Dokuja's house at least until he gains more experience like you want," Setsuka offered with each word feeling like sulfuric acid coming from her throat which instantly caused murmurs to erupt from the crowd. Dokuja, in particular, looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown which wasn't helped by the fact that the emperor was seriously considering taking him out of his role.

"Hmm...you do realize that even if you succeed, you won't be recognized as a daimyo?" the emperor pointed out to which Setsuka nodded causing the ruler of the Myre to slowly stroke his beard, size up the former Orochi, and then nod.

"Very well, I will concede to your request provided you earn it first," the emperor stated causing Setsuka to thank him and bow while Dokuja was fuming as he angrily stomped toward the ring like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"No, we can't let his happen!" Ayu seethed as she began to step toward Setsuka to challenge her only for Momiji to firmly grasp her arm causing the collected Kensei to glower at her warrior who didn't falter.

"Ayu, no! You're already in bad standing with the Emperor so if you speak out now, you're going to be imprisoned or worse! When that happens, the emperor will make someone else the daimyo of the Chosen who will only have his interests in mind," Momiji warned her daimyo who looked like she was still going to follow through with it, but eventually acquiesced to her warrior's advice as Dokuja stepped into the ring.

"Don't think I'll give up my throne without a fight!" Dokuja barked as he readied his weapon causing Setsuka to follow suit and narrow her eyes at the cowardly Kensei.

" _It's not like this was a willing choice on my part,"_ Setsuka thought as Dokuja let out a war cry and charged at her causing the disgraced warrior to wait for the perfect moment before backstepping a swipe at her belly and then quickly leaping forward while her foe was recovering from strike. Dokuja proceeded to tightly gnash his teeth as the cold steel of Setsuka's blades cut down his shoulders which left painful, but superficial slashes on them. Fighting through the pain, Dokuja jabbed the pommel of his nodachi into Setsuka's gut making her wheeze and stagger back which he took advantage of and thrust the tip of his blade at her chest. Widening her eyes, Setsuka spun around the strike though she still winced as the blade made a shallow cut on her arm and swiftly cut the back of Dokuja's exposed, lightly armored legs which nearly made the paranoid Kensei buckle.

Just as she was going in for another blow, Setsuka gasped as Dokuja swung his nodachi in a wide, sweeping motion, but regained her composure and simultaneously blocked the strike by lifting one of her blades overhead and sidestepping the slash. Ignoring the searing hot sparks that flew from the clash of steel on steel, Setsuka turned her back to Dokuja and made it look like she was going for a fatal thrust to his chest by tugging both of her blades forward. When the cowardly Kensei instinctively backed away, Setsuka revealed her true attack by spinning around and making a shallow, but nasty cut to the back of his knee which made Dokuja cry out. Before the cowardly Kensei could even process what happened, Setsuka flowed with the momentum and connected with a superficial, but vicious gash to his clavicle making Dokuja howl in pain. Despite this, Dokuja simultaneously dodged the follow up swipe to his other arm while bringing his blade back to the side as if he was trying to bisect the disgraced warrior in half.

Seeing the attack coming, the disgraced warrior prepared to duck underneath it like the previous strike...only for the cowardly Kensei to suddenly plant his lead foot on the ground which stopped his momentum and then came overhead with a fast, but powerful strike to Setsuka's skull. Widening her eyes, Setsuka quickly got over her shock as she leaned to the side which caused the razor sharp blade to pass mere inches away from her face which still managed to nick her nose and then quickly trapped both of Dokuja's wrists underneath her armpit. Dokuja didn't even get the chance to struggle as Setsuka stomped on his foot, hooked the cold steel of her hwando against his throat, and brought him to the ground by twisting him to the side.

"Yield!" Setsuka commanded as she sat on Dokuja's chest and continued to press her hwando against his throat while maintaining an iron grip on his wrists causing the cowardly Kensei to make an effort to break free, but winced when the disgraced warrior shallowly cut his neck when he did so.

"Okay, you win! Just get off me!" Dokuja shouted causing Setsuka to quickly disengage the grapple and just as swiftly retreated to safe distance as she didn't put it beyond him to attempt a sneak attack.

"Impressive, what is your name, warrior?" the emperor inquired as Dokuja begrudgingly handed his helm to the Setsuka which bore the crest of his house before sullenly stepping out of the ring while ignoring the comments made of how he shouldn't have gave up or should have fought to the death.

"Setsuka, Emperor," the disgraced warrior replied while bowing to the ruler of the Myre who stroked his beard and glanced at Dokuja who looked like he wanted to jump off a cliff right about now.

"Then I ask the warriors of my son's former house to acknowledge their new ruler, Setsuka!" the emperor declared causing Dokuja's former warriors to despairingly sigh as they felt they traded one tyrant for another. Not helping this is that Setsuka, despite not wanting to, prostrated herself before Ranja and handed her Dokuja's helm causing the mad priestess to take her brother's crest as a spoil of war, put it on her helm, and then discarded her sibling's helmet as if it were a piece of junk. What's more, Yuuto began replacing the banners representing Dokuja's house with those of Ranja's house causing every one of them to worriedly look at each other.

"Don't worry, brother. I'll be sure to put your warriors to great use," Ranja politely assured Dokuja making the cowardly Kensei huff before taking his place in the stands of the Imperial House with the ashigaru.

"The warriors of your house are as impressive as ever, daughter," the emperor complimented the mad priestess causing Ranja to bow politely at the compliment as a thought suddenly occurred to her. Letting an ever so slight smirk tug at the corner of her lips, Ranja turned to the side and locked eyes with Kizan who frowned underneath his mask.

"Emperor, you know as well as I do that Kizan's house is plagued by decadence and thus, his warriors aren't living up to their full potential. If I beat him, may I gain control of his house as well?" Ranja politely requested causing Kizan to snarl under his breathe and then his blood boiled when the emperor nodded without any hesitation.

"Considering that none of Kizan's warriors have been able to advance to the final rounds these last several festivals, much less beat their foes, I see no harm in giving them to someone who will put them to better use," the emperor replied causing Kizan to gnash his teeth and although Ayu certainly wasn't a friend of his, she balled her hands into fists due to knowing that her sister was going to gain control of yet another house. What's more, some of Kizan's warriors felt a sense of bleak dread wash over them much like the combatants of Dokuja's house.

"We can't let her gain control over two houses, we need to do something!" Ayu seethed to which Momiji nodded in agreement, but was unsure of what do.

"Ayu, you don't exactly have a winning record against her which means, if you lose, that our house runs the risk of being taken over by Ranja as well," Momiji reminded her daimyo who huffed and shot a brief glare at the Nobushi. Calming down and remembering the losses Ranja gave her over the past festivals, Ayu begrudgingly backed down for the sake of her house.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to do something similar, brother," Fujikiyo offhandedly remarked toward Seijuro who snorted and cast a narrowed eyed glance at the guardian of the sea fortress.

"It's about the quality of your warriors, not the quantity," Seijuro retorted causing Fujikiyo to scoff and unflinchingly look back at his sibling as Kizan pushed away his concubines and lumbered to the ring.

"I understand what you mean, but there comes a point when quality is outmatched by quantity, especially if there's a lot of the latter," Fujikiyo responded to which Seijuro grunted, but otherwise couldn't formulate a response as Ranja gave a formal bow to Kizan when he entered the ring making the gluttonous Shugoki huff.

"Spare me the formalities! I'm not giving up my house without a fight!" Kizan roared causing Ranja to smirk ever so slightly and ready her weapon with her opponent following suit while Homura gestured for Yuuto to get the banners ready.

"Nor should you," Ranja replied in a voice barely above a whisper as Kizan charged at her and came down with a powerful overhead strike with all of his weight behind it causing the mad priestess to wait for the right moment before leaning to the side slightly. Not flinching in the slightest as the kanabo passed mere inches from her head and crashed to the ground which kicked up a copious amount of dust, Ranja held her foot out and slashed the back of Kizan's knee with the precision of a surgeon. Screaming in pain, the gluttonous Shugoki tumbled to the ground with a mighty thud not only because of his uncontrollable forward momentum carrying him forward, but also because of one of his legs losing all feeling in it. Whimpering, Kizan tightly clutched his bloodied limb as Ranja approached him, relieved him of his helmet, removed his house's crest, and then tossed the hem to the ground where she placed Kizan's crest on her helmet.

"Most impressive, daughter. It seems I was right to place your house as next in line for the throne. As for you, Kizan, you and your son can return to the Imperial House or you can serve under Ranja," the Emperor proclaimed causing the gluttonous Shugoki to shakily climb to his feet, grab his fallen weapon, and hobble toward the Imperial House. Noticeably, Kizan couldn't even look as Yuuto placed the banners of Ranja's house over his own and simply took his seat where he stared down at the ground while mulling over his failure. Nodding in approval over the fact that her forces were now bolstered considerably, the mad priestess gave an appreciative nod toward Homura for her plan who returned the gesture.

"Homura, I believe it's your turn," Ranja informed her second who savagely smirked, locked eyes with Momiji, and gestured at the other side of the ring making the younger Nobushi snort.

"Be careful," Ayu whispered causing Momiji to grin underneath her mask as she got into the ring and readied her naginata as Homura brandished a tanto in her off hand with a reverse grip while wielding her naginata in her dominant one.

"I've heard of dual wielding, but it's usually with a katana and wakizashi or even two katanas. This though...I've never even seen it before," Hagane murmured to which Setsuka nodded slowly as to this day, there were only a handful of other Nobushis capable of what Homura was displaying, but none of them were not up to her level of proficiency.

"Then it's time for you to bear witness to why your mother is so feared," Ranja calmly interjected causing the teenager to suppress the urge to glare at the mad priestess as Momiji remained calm and beckoned Homura to come at her. Giving a bestial grin underneath her mask, Homura gladly obliged her opponent and charged at her like a raging berserker...after blinding Momiji by reflecting the light of the moon off of her naginata right onto the younger Nobushi's face. Crying out, Momiji shielded her face with her forearm and placed her naginata in front of her while trying to regain vision in her temporarily blinded eyes.

"Momiji, dodge to the side!" Ayu screamed causing the younger Nobushi to immediately do so, but still hissed violently as the cold steel of Homura's naginata grazed her side leaving a vicious gash on her ribs. Momiji tried to regain her bearings, but Homura was relentless and instantly followed up with a swipe at her throat which the younger Nobushi saw through her blurry vision and leaned her head back. Grimacing as the tanto cut her throat regardless leaving a shallow, but agonizing cut on her neck, the younger Nobushi fought through the pain and simultaneously ducked underneath a thrust at her face and drove the tip of her naginata into Homura's boot. No pain registered in Homura's body language, however, as she unleashed a myriad of swift, unyielding slashes and swipes at Momiji with her short sword which kept Momiji on the defensive.

Hissing as some of the swipes breached her defense and left painful cuts on her forearm, Momiji simultaneously pushed the next hack coming at her away and then fiercely bashed Homura across the face with the butt of her polearm. The strike was amplified by Momiji putting her hips into it which finally elicited a reaction from Homura who grunted, but otherwise showed no discomfort even as she staggered to the side. Momiji then went on the offensive by throwing out fast, but precise stabs and thrusts at her foe who recovered faster than she thought and spun underneath the flurry of attacks. Not letting this faze her, the younger Nobushi feinted like she was going for an overhead strike before lunging forward with a fast, but powerful stab at her foe by changing her grip on her naginata so her hands were closer to the blade.

While this caught Homura off guard for the briefest of moments, the wild beast in human flesh just as quickly regained her composure and sidestepped the blow which grazed her ribs before trapping Momiji's weapon underneath her armpit. Momiji didn't even get the chance to try and free her trapped naginata before she violently wheezed as Homura harshly kneed her in the gut making the younger Nobushi hack up the contents of her stomach onto her mask. Taking advantage of her superior position, Homura stabbed downward at Momiji's spine only for her foe to grasp her wrist which stopped the blade in its tracks.

Rolling her eyes, Homura proceeded to mercilessly pound Momiji's midsection with harsh knees and ruthlessly assail her legs with sharp, devastating kicks akin to a lumberjack trying to cut down a tree. Each blow elicited an agonizing howl from Momiji making Ayu gnash her teeth and tighten her grip on her nodachi to the point her knuckles turned white as the younger Nobushi tried to fight back by kneeing, kicking, and even headbutting Homura in turn. However, all this did was garner a look from Homura that all but said "Really?" before the wild beast in human flesh forcefully smashed her forehead onto Momiji's skull which cracked her mask and left the younger Nobushi punch drunk.

"Momiji, come on! Don't let her push you around!" Ayu encouraged which the younger Nobushi barely heard in her groggy state causing her to find her second wind, tighten her grip on Homura's wrist, and kick her in the crotch with as much force she could muster. While all Homura did was grunt from the blow, her grasp weakened just the tiniest bit which allowed Momiji to break free and kick the insane Nobushi in the chest sending her reeling.

" _I can't let her grab me like that again,"_ Momiji thought as she went on the offensive throwing out stabs, thrusts, and quick cuts meant to keep Homura at bay which seemed to be working as the wild beast in human flesh was now on the back foot. However, it wouldn't last even as Momiji scored a grazing gash on Homura's ribs as the psychotic warrior spun around a stab at her chest, slid her hand up the shaft of her naginata so it was closest to the blade, and responded with a flurry of fast, merciless stabs of her own. Widening her eyes, Momiji did her best to dodge them, but the blows appeared to be a blur as they not only shattered her mask, but enabled Homura to land nasty cuts and lacerations on her face as well making Momiji cry out. While she was reeling, Homura smiled savagely and thrust her naginata at a defenseless Momiji's face causing Ayu and Okuma to widen their eyes while the younger Nobushi had a deer in the headlights expression.

Homura, however, had more self-control than the spectators gave her credit for as she withheld the blow the moment it contacted flesh and then stabbed her tanto right into Momiji's leg away from an artery. Howling in pain, Momiji almost toppled to the ground, but manage to stay upright as she spun underneath a swing at her throat and cut the inside of one of Homura's legs while retreating backwards making the wild beast in human flesh wince ever so slightly. Shrugging the blow off, Homura surged forward as Momiji sidestepped a slash at her gut and threw out a cut to the belly of her own, but Homura managed to lean out of the way in time and stomped on her opponent's weapon.

Before she could even try to free it, Homura swung her naginata down at Momiji's skull like a hammer forcing the younger Nobushi to abandon her weapon to avoid the strike...which was Homura's intention the whole time as she retracted the blow at the last second. Feinting a strike to Momiji's ribs, Homura allowed her opponent to catch her weapon which brought them into close range where she kicked the tanto deeper into Momiji's leg with her foot and when she buckled, initiated a grapple. Gagging as Homura got her into a choke hold with the shaft of her naginata ruthlessly pressing against her throat which wasn't helped by the fact that the wild beast in human flesh lifted her up so she was standing on her toes, Momiji simply didn't have enough strength left to do anything.

"You're free to say you yield which will obligate me to let you go, but I'd rather you not," Homura told her helpless foe with a bestial smirk on her face and a glazed over expression in her eyes as she pressed her forearm against the shaft and clamped tight a hand over Momiji's mouth and nose. Setsuka, upon seeing the maneuver, shuddered and unconsciously brushed her hand over her mouth and nose while Hagane could only stare wide eyed at the sadistic scene before her. Ayu's blood boiled which wasn't helped by the fact that the wild beast in human flesh looked her dead in the eye as if to say "Feel free to jump in and save her if you want."

"Then again, you're not the type to give up, are you?" Homura remarked causing Momiji to glare at her as the blood and oxygen deprivation was making her lose what little strength she had left and was beginning to see black spots. Having Momiji at her mercy made Homura feel the intoxicating, orgasmic urge to snap her opponent's neck so completely that it would kill her, but she wasn't so careless to do something like that in front of the emperor so she just continued to slowly exert pressure on her foe.

"Where's your earlier fire now, young one?" Homura cruelly remarked as Momiji let out a muffled scream and tried to turn her head, but it was for naught as she groggily fell onto one knee. Coldly smiling as she now had even more leverage to work with, Homura forced her weight down on the shaft causing Momiji to scream in pain, cough up blood onto Homura's hand, and then go limp. Laughing darkly underneath her breathe, Homura continued to exert pressure on her defenseless opponent just as she felt the tip of a sword pressing against the back of her neck causing her to lazily look over her shoulder and found Ayu standing behind her.

"Release her, now! Her knee touched the ground so the match is over!" Ayu roared and stabbed the tip of her sword into Homura's neck just in case the wild beast in human flesh didn't get the message, but all this did was make Homura chuckle.

"Okay, Ayu-chan, you win," Homura tauntingly retorted as she released the unconscious Momiji who hit the ground like a sack of potatoes causing Ayu to immediately rush to her friend's side while Ranja complimented Homura for her performance when she returned to hers.

"A-Ayu-"

"Don't talk, just rest," Ayu commanded as she hoisted Momiji up and helped her walk back to the stands where Okuma ordered a doctor to be summoned immediately as Ayu gently laid Momiji down on the ground.

"We'll get her back for this," Okuma growled to which Ayu nodded in agreement as she sat crossed legged near Momiji's head while Okuma sat down on a nearby chair as the ruler of the Myre cleared his throat.

"Well...that was certainly a...superb performance from both sides, but Homura is the winner of this match," the emperor proclaimed after getting over his shock causing Ayu to glower at Ranja and her warriors out of the corner of her eye with Setsuka apologetically looking back at her while Hagane mouthed a silent apology. All their gestures did was make Ayu gnash her teeth as both of them looked like scared, abused puppies for one moment only to contribute to the take over of two houses the next.

"Now then, young one, you may choose your opponent," the emperor informed Hagane who nodded slowly and reluctantly scanned the available combatants and couldn't help but feel like wanting to just give up right then and there.

"Mother, all of these warriors are out of my skill range," Hagane murmured causing Homura to glower at her daughter.

"That doesn't matter, now choose," Homura bluntly responded causing Hagane to snarl under her breathe and look at the various warriors open for a challenge once more and settled on a Orochi from Tozen's army.

"I challenge-"

"I challenge you, warrior!" Ayu sharply interrupted the far younger warrior while making her way toward the fighting arena causing Hagane to jolt, Ranja to raise a brow, Homura to scoff, and Setsuka to purse her lips.

"Ayu, have you forgotten your place!? You cannot issue challenges on a whim!" the emperor roared with the veins on his neck bulging out from the stress and just as it looked like he was going to sick his guards on the daimyo, Hagane spoke up.

"It's okay, Emperor. I accept her challenge," the younger combatant said causing the emperor to huff, but nod nonetheless and give a dismissive wave to the younger warrior who readied her gladius and bowed to her opponent.

" _I hope you know what you're doing,"_ Setsuka thought to herself as she kept a close, concerned eye on Hagane as Ayu returned the gesture though Homura, Ranja, and Setsuka saw it was more out of formality than any sort of respect. With standing on ceremony out of the way, Ayu struck first by lunging forward and making it look like she was going to bring her sword down on the crown of Hagane's skull. Widening her eyes, the younger combatant placed her armored arm in front of her and waited to counter attack like she saw in the book her mother gave her only for Ayu to retract the blow at the last second and smash the pommel of her nodachi against her face. Yelping when she felt something break, Hagane regained her bearings in time to see Ayu lightly cut her forehead making the younger warrior wince. Wondering why the daimyo of the Chosen didn't go for a more powerful strike, Hagane got her answer when blood started pooling down her forehead which heavily obscured her vision causing Hagane to rapidly blink away drops of blood. The distraction enabled Ayu to nick Hagane's neck, the back of her lightly protected knee, and the inside of her leg eliciting a hiss from the younger warrior with each strike.

Hagane, to her credit, caught Ayu off guard when she slugged her across the face with her armored fist just as the daimyo of the Chosen landed another slash to the inside of her leg and left an agonizing cut to Ayu's shoulder. Feeling as if a bull just crashed into her face, Ayu forced down the pain and lunged forward just as Hagane was bringing her gladius down towards her foe's chest while holding the sword in an ice pick grip. Knocking the strike off balance with her pommel, Hagane gasped as she was nearly knocked over and then screamed as Ayu deftly cut her armpit which forced her to drop her blade and made her arm go limp. As Hagane was reeling, Ayu gracefully spun underneath the wild, desperate haymaker flying at her nose and used the momentum to cut the younger warrior's Achilles tendon. Howling in pain as the blade cut deep into the appendage and caused blood to splay onto the ground, Hagane began to topple over only for Ayu to grab her by the hair which prevented her fall.

"I have some questions which you are going to answer," Ayu murmured while roughly dragging Hagane to her feet making the younger warrior yowl and pressed the cold steel of her nodachi against Hagane's throat making her wince.

"She's probably going to divulge what she knows, Homura," Ranja commented while shooting an ever so slight glare in the Nobushi's direction, but all Homura did was snort and fold her arms while never taking her eyes off of the spectacle.

"Even if she does, it's not like Ayu can do anything about it. Our house is always the first to answer Tozen and Fujikiyo's call for aid whenever they needed it while the Chosen only help if it's in their interests," Homura responded making Setsuka growl quietly while Ranja tapped her chin, looked up at the ceiling while considering her subordinate's words, and then nodded.

"Then I suppose we have nothing to worry about," Ranja said as Ayu lightly cut Hagane's neck when she refused to answer her question making Setsuka glance at Homura and gesture at her daughter. The Nobushi just shrugged and impassively watched as Ayu dragged her blade across Hagane's throat which drew blood causing Setsuka to step forward to intervene only for Homura to glare at her which caused her to deflate and back down.

"I ask again, what is Ranja planning?" Ayu quietly questioned causing Setsuka to respond with "I can't tell you!" making Ayu growl as she headbutted Hagane who screamed as her nose broke with a gut wrenching crunch which caked her face with blood.

"Please...stop. I'll...tell...you," the younger warrior weakly acquiesced causing Ayu to lift Hagane's bloodied head up where one could see that Ayu's blows aggravated her foe's prior injuries where one of Hagane's eyes was not only swollen shut, but was bleeding as well.

"Talk," Ayu commanded while sparing a quick, subtle glance over her shoulder to check if Homura or Setsuka were trying to ambush her from behind, but saw that the Nobushi remained where she was while the Orochi begrudgingly did so as well.

"Mother told me...that...we're...going to...Ashfeld...to...collect...sacrifices. To do...that...she's...trying to get...on Fujikiyo-sama's...good side," Hagane feebly croaked causing Ayu to widen her eyes and release her grip on her foe who crumpled to the ground and curled into a ball where she let out long, labored breathes.

" _Should I intervene at all? This isn't going to affect my house or people in any substantial way, but then again the Emperor is always fond of displays of military might. Foiling her would bring shame upon her house and prestige upon mine, but is it worth the risk?"_ Ayu wondered as her gaze suddenly fell upon her defeated opponent where, upon seeing Hagane's barely conscious form and recalling her younger foe's prior injuries, the Kensei's gaze softened.

"I..." Ayu began only to trail off as she knelt down next to Hagane, inspected her wounds, and placed one of the younger warrior's arms over her neck where she helped Hagane walk back to Ranja's area with Setsuka glaring at her the entire time.

"You become consumed with rage when I inflict ungodly punishment on one of your warriors, but yet you did the same to one of ours who was the _least_ deserving of your wrath. You truly have some _fascinating_ principles, Ayu-chan," Homura mocked causing Ayu to snort, but say nothing in return as she gently set Hagane down on one of the chairs before turning to the Nobushi and staring at her dead in the eye.

"She needs time to recover so I suggest you let her rest and not make her do any training," Ayu recommended causing Homura to snort as the daimyo of the Chosen walked back to her area where, upon looking over her shoulder, she saw Homura carefully lay Hagane down on floor and order Setsuka to bring some medical supplies.

"Quite hypocritical of you, Ayu, but I digress. Ranja, although you have already fought, I will allow you to go again," the emperor proclaimed causing the mad priestess to grin underneath her helmet and lock eyes with Fujikiyo.

"Come brother, I wish to test myself against you," the mad priestess said in a very convincing, friendly tone, but no one was fooled as the guardian of the sea fortress snorted and made his way down to the arena.

"We both know this isn't a friendly match so say what it is you want," Fujikiyo growled making Ranja smirk as after they got the formalities out of the way, they both began cautiously circling each other like predators on the hunt.

"I want sacrifices, you want to protect our people. Give me a fleet, allow us to go to Ashfeld, and upon our return with our tributes to the gods, we'll give you the secrets of the Legion's metallurgy. Wouldn't it be great to know what makes a Lawbringer's armor so sturdy or a Warden's longsword so strong?" Ranja enticed while throwing a out a withheld cut towards her sibling's face who pushed the strike away and responded with a quick downward slash at her skull which the mad priestess sidestepped and then bashed Fujikiyo's across the face with her hilt. Fujikiyo ground his teeth from the blow and considered what agreeing to this arrangement would entail for not only his house, but his people as a whole. Sighing heavily, the guardian of the sea fortress circled his opponent who didn't follow up on her advantage as she was more interested in what Fujikiyo's response would be.

"...How many warriors are you planning on bringing? I need to know so I can allocate the proper amount of ships," Fujikiyo's reluctantly responded causing Ranja to smugly smirk underneath her mask as her goal to be the one sitting on the throne and imposing her will over her people was now one step closer.


End file.
